Dehradun, September 11 (Daily Kiran) : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted a significant raid in Dehradun, targeting properties linked to Chandan Singh Jeena, a former officer on special duty to ex-Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat. This action is part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in the 2016 Village Panchayat Development Officer (VPDO) examination.
During the operation, officials seized assets valued at approximately ₹1.28 crore. Jeena, who currently serves as Rawat’s personal assistant, was found to possess ₹32 lakh in unaccounted cash, along with around 200.5 grams of gold, which included 13 gold coins and seven gold chains. Additionally, 12 luxury wristwatches were confiscated, featuring brands such as Rolex, Rado, Piaget, Movado, Tissot, and Casio Edifice. The total value of these watches is still being assessed, indicating that the overall worth of the seized assets may rise.
The ED’s action was initiated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, aiming to trace the proceeds of crime linked to the alleged discrepancies in the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) examination. This investigation is based on a first information report (FIR) filed at the vigilance police station in Dehradun, along with three subsequent FIRs.
The ED’s search operations extended to the residences of several individuals involved in the alleged conspiracy, including the then-chairman, secretary, and examination controller of UKSSSC, as well as the owner of a private computer agency linked to OMR processing.
Evidence suggests that OMR answer sheets were removed from UKSSSC’s secure custody and taken to the private residence of the then-secretary. Here, incomplete answer sheets had their roll numbers noted before being handed over to the private agency’s employees. Allegations include that the answer bubbles were fraudulently filled and altered before being resealed, with illegal funds funneled through intermediaries in exchange.
In addition to the asset seizures, the ED has frozen bank accounts belonging to Jeena and his family members, which collectively held ₹52 lakh. The agency also confiscated his mobile phone for forensic examination. Investigators found evidence of significant cash expenditures without clear sources, raising suspicions about the legitimacy of these transactions. The seized cash and expenditures do not align with Jeena’s known income sources.
The ED reported that unaccounted cash was also recovered from several former officials of UKSSSC and their associates, with amounts ranging from thousands to millions of rupees, along with some gold jewelry.
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