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ED officer arrested by CBI in Odisha first demanded ₹5 crore for settling case
Chintan Raghuvanshi, a 2013 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, was arrested by a CBI team late on Thursday following a complaint by businessman
NEW DELHI: Chintan Raghuvanshi, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) deputy director, arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), initially demanded ₹5 crore from a Bhubaneswar-based businessman for settling a money laundering case registered against him, but later settled for a ₹2 crore bribe, according to the CBI’s first information report (FIR) in the case.
An ED official said the federal agency would also initiate disciplinary action against Raghuvanshi and could investigate him for money laundering if the CBI probe reveals that he has received bribes in the past and generated proceeds of crime.
Raghuvanshi was arrested by a CBI team late on Thursday following a complaint by businessman Ratikanta Rout who has a stone mining and stone crusher business in Dhenkanal.
According to the FIR reviewed by HT, Ratikanta Rout submitted a written complaint about the bribery allegations to CBI on May 28.
Rout’s complaint, which is part of the FIR, said he received a summons from ED’s Bhubaneswar office in 2024 and learnt that a money laundering case had been registered against him by ED. Searches were also conducted at his premises on January 8, 2025.
Rout said in the complaint that he was again summoned to the ED office in March this year. During this visit, Raghuvanshi called Rout to his chamber and asked him to contact a private person, Bhaghti, if he wanted relief in the case.
He added that Bhaghti first told him about the ₹5 crore demand after discussions with Raghuvanshi. Rout added that at his request over a FaceTime call, the ED officer agreed to reduce the money to ₹2 crore.
Rout said he was told to pay ₹50 lakhs, the first instalment of the ₹2 crore bribe to settle the case, and to not arrest him.
Raghuvanshi, a 2013 batch Indian Revenue Service officer (Customs and Indirect Taxes), was arrested in the trap laid by CBI.
