Chhattisgarh job recruitment scam: ED arrests Baghel's former OSD, accused of extorting Rs 3 crore

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its crackdown on high-level corruption by arresting Chetan Borgharia, the former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in connection with the sprawling Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) examination scam. Arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on September 11, Borgharia was subsequently remanded to six days of ED custody by a special PMLA court in Raipur. Federal investigators allege that the network extorted over ₹3 crore from aspiring candidates by promising guaranteed selections in the CGPSC State Service Examination 2021, exploiting high-level political connections and administrative titles to build a fraudulent syndicate.Unearthing Financial Trails, Leaked Question Papers, and Resort Coaching Networks Across ChhattisgarhAccording to ongoing ED disclosures, the syndicate's operations extended far beyond simple monetary transactions, revealing a sophisticated conspiracy to compromise public examinations. Investigators uncovered that a total of ₹66.64 lakh in cash was deposited into Borgharia's bank account through 170 separate transactions, linking him directly to key co-accused individuals such as Utkarsh Chandrakar, Anil Chandrakar, and Dr. Vikas Chandrakar. The probe highlights how candidates were gathered at Raipur's Siddhi Vinayak Marriage Palace prior to the preliminary exam to receive leaked question papers, while others were secretly accommodated at a resort in the Barnawapara Sanctuary to study leaked materials for the main examination. Furthermore, transactions involving a corporate entity named FigureCave E-Com (OPC) Private Limited are under intense scrutiny for alleged money layering. With the CBI having previously taken over the predicate offense from the Raipur EOW-ACB against former CGPSC Chairman Taman Singh Sonwani and others, the ED continues to analyze seized digital devices, forensic chats, and banking records to trace the full proceeds of crime.