Chhattisgarh government sanctions police protection for ED lawyer

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh government has sanctioned an armed police protection for Enforcement Directorate (ED) lawyer and the state's deputy advocate general Saurabh Kumar Pandey, official sources said on Sunday.

Pandey has been provided with personal security officers after a threat perception report prepared by state intelligence recommended protection to him by the Chhattisgarh Police's VIP security wing.

The lawyer has been representing the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) Raipur zonal office in different courts with regard to various high-profile accused being arrested and charge sheets being filed against them, apart from other litigation vis-a-vis money laundering and foreign exchange violation investigations being undertaken by the federal agency in Chhattisgarh.

He was instrumental in obtaining non-bailable warrants, after filing of charge sheet, from a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here that helped the ED get notified Interpol Red Notices against the main accused of the Mahadev online betting app case.

The state government recently designated Pandey as one of the deputy advocates general of Chhattisgarh.