Midday meal scam: Two hours of interrogation
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out extensive raids on the residences of businessmen and government contractors within the city on Tuesday, subjecting them to two hours of interrogation.
In September 2022, the Income Tax department had previously conducted raids on one of the same businessmen in connection with the midday meal scam. Speculation arose that the same businessman was once again under scrutiny during Tuesday's ED operation. However, no official confirmation was provided by the ED until late into the night, fueling discussions within the political arena.
The ED officials and staff arrived in the city on Tuesday morning, deploying two vehicles for their operations. The officials primarily focused on conducting raids in the Machili Khadak and Jyotinagar areas. The investigative team inspected the offices of the businessman's agency. Subsequently, the team also visited the businessman's pharmaceutical agency that supplies medicines to various government hospitals across the state. There were reports indicating that the team also visited an outlet affiliated with this agency.
Businessman previously targeted
Regarding the businessman targeted in Tuesday's raid, it's worth noting that he had previously been under investigation by the IT department in September 2022. The investigation was linked to the midday meal scam in Rajasthan, with allegations that the businessman had supplied grain for the midday meal programme in the state.