Dehradun: The ED searches in Dehradun over alleged irregularities in the 2016 Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari exam spread to the premises of Chandan Singh Jeena, former OSD to Congress leader and ex-Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Singh Rawat, leading to the seizure of assets of about Rs 1.28 crore, an official said on Friday.
Jeena is presently serving as personal assistant to Rawat, and searches at his residential premises on Thursday led to the recovery of unaccounted Rs 32 lakh cash, gold coins and chains weighing approximately 200.5 grams (13 gold coins and 7 gold chains) and 12 luxury wristwatches, the ED said.
The seized watches are from brands including Rolex, Rado, Piaget, Movado, Tissot and Casio Edifice, and the total value of assets seized is likely to increase with the value of the seized 12 luxury watches being separately ascertained, the ED said in a statement.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Dehradun Sub-Zonal Office, carried out search operations under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA, 2002) to trace proceeds of crimes linked to the alleged irregularities in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari (VPDO) Examination, 2016, the ED said.
The case stems from an FIR registered at Police Station Vigilance, Dehradun, and three further FIRs registered in the matter, the ED said.
Searches were conducted at the residential premises of the then Chairman and the then Secretary of UKSSSC, the then Exam Controller, the owner of the private computer agency engaged for OMR processing, and associated middlemen linked to the conspiracy, besides the residence of Jeena, the agency said.
The ED’s investigation revealed that OMR answer sheets were diverted from UKSSSC’s secure custody to the private residence of the then Secretary, UKSSSC, where the roll numbers of under-filled OMR sheets were noted down and handed over to private computer-agency personnel to fraudulently fill and alter answer bubbles before re-sealing — in exchange for illegal gratification routed through middlemen.
During the search, the bank accounts of Jeena and his family members were frozen under Section 17(1A) of the PMLA, 2002, covering credit balances aggregating Rs 52 lakh, the ED said.
His mobile phone was also seized for forensic analysis. During the investigation, it was found that he had made huge expenses in cash also, with no explained source. The recovery, along with the cash expenses, is not substantiated by his known sources of income, the ED said.
During the search operations, unaccounted cash was recovered from several former UKSSSC officials and associated persons, ranging from small sums to lakhs of rupees, along with gold jewellery in certain cases.
(IANS)
