ED raids Gehlot brother’s house over fertiliser scam

Digs out 11-yr-old Customs department case

New Delhi/Jaipur, July 22: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday raided the premises of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s brother in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged fertiliser export scam, officials said.

The action came after the central probe agency filed a criminal Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), ED equivalent of a police FIR, in a 2007-09 customs department case where it was alleged that irregularities took place in the procurement and export of subsidised Muriate of Potash (MOP) meant for farmers and investigation in this case was finalised in 2013.

The ED took cognisance of the Customs FIR and a charge sheet was filed by it on July 13 in this case to press money laundering charges to probe a “smuggling syndicate” allegedly run by Ashok Gehlot’s elder brother Agrasain Gehlot, his firm Anupam Krishi and others, they said. The agency said the case pertains to fraudulent export of MOP, a restricted commodity for exports, in the guise of industrial salts to buyers based in Malaysia and Taiwan.

Its export is restricted so that it is available to Indian farmers, they said.

ED sleuths wearing protective suits to combat Covid-19 infection were assisted by personnel of the CRPF, who were seen standing guard at the farmhouse and residence of the Gehlots in Mandore area of Jodhpur district, to carry out the searches.

The raids come at a time when a political slugfest is currently on between Chief Minister Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot.