Raipur The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday summoned the two sons and brother-in-law of Vinod Verma, the OSD and Political Advisor to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, for questioning. In fact, Verma arrived at the ED office in Raipur on Wednesday, accompanied by his two sons, Punarvasu and Tathagat, as well as his brother-in-law, Tukendra Verma in compliance with the summons. The ED had summoned all three for questioning, following an earlier summons to Vinod Verma himself. Additionally, Verma mentioned that his wife, Jaya, has been scheduled for questioning tomorrow and he will accompany his wife to the ED office on Thursday. Verma, who remains confident in the face of ED’s investigation, likened the experience to taking his children to school. He assured that they are fully cooperating with the inquiry and emphasized the need for an impartial investigation. This development comes after the ED had conducted a raid on August 23 at the residences of Vinod Verma and two Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) OSDs. Subsequently, on August 28, they were summoned for questioning, with this recent summons extending to the sons. After leaving his sons at the ED office, Vinod Verma took to Twitter to express his determination. “I have brought my sons Punarvasu, Tathagat, and brother-in-law Tukendra Verma to the ED office. Tomorrow, my wife Jaya has also been summoned. Regardless of what agencies do at the behest of the central government, they cannot break the courage of @bhupeshbaghel ji and his team.” Verma has consistently dismissed all allegations made against him since the initial raid. Furthermore, he vehemently denied any involvement in online gaming app-related money laundering, characterizing ED’s actions as extortion. Prior to this, Verma had already held a press conference where he steadfastly refuted all allegations against him. Addressing the media following the raid, he accused the ED of acting on unfounded rumors. The ED has made serious allegations against Vinod Verma, particularly in relation to an ongoing investigation into money laundering associated with online betting operations originating from Dubai. Four individuals, including ASI Chandra Bhushan Verma, have been arrested in connection with this case and have been remanded into judicial custody. According to ED, ASI Chandra Bhushan Verma’s association with Vinod Verma forms the basis of allegations that he had bribed certain police officers and politicians in Chhattisgarh with a sum of 65 crore rupees. Additionally, it is alleged that Vinod Verma facilitated contact between ASI Verma and the Chief Minister’s office in Chhattisgarh.
