ED Raids Ex-CM Harish Rawat’s PA, Seizes ₹32 Lakh Cash and Luxury Watches

New Delhi/Dehradun, September 11, 2026

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in a 2016 Uttarakhand government recruitment examination, conducting searches at multiple locations, including the premises of Chandan Singh Jeena, personal assistant to former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat. The searches have brought fresh focus on the alleged flow of illicit funds linked to the examination process and the involvement of officials, private agency personnel and suspected middlemen.

The ED said on Friday that its teams carried out searches on Thursday at several locations in Dehradun as part of a probe connected with alleged irregularities in the Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari examination conducted by the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) in 2016.

According to the agency, ₹32 lakh in unaccounted cash and 12 luxury wristwatches were recovered from Jeena’s residential premises. Gold coins and jewellery, including gold coins and chains weighing around 200.5 grams, were also seized.

Jeena is currently working as a PA to Harish Rawat. He had earlier served as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) during Rawat’s tenure as Uttarakhand Chief Minister from 2014 to 2017. There was no immediate response from either Jeena or Rawat to the searches.

The ED said searches were conducted at several locations in Dehradun, including premises linked to the former chairman, secretary and examination controller of the UKSSSC. The agency also searched the premises of the owner of a private computer agency involved in processing OMR answer sheets, along with those of some people suspected of acting as middlemen.

The money laundering case has been registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It originates from four FIRs filed by the Uttarakhand Police and Vigilance Bureau over alleged irregularities in the 2016 Gram Panchayat Vikas Adhikari examination.

The ED alleged that OMR answer sheets were diverted from the UKSSSC’s secure custody to the residence of the commission’s then secretary. At the residence, roll numbers from under-filled OMR sheets were allegedly recorded and passed on to personnel associated with a private computer agency. The agency personnel were allegedly involved in fraudulently filling or modifying answer bubbles before the sheets were resealed, with illegal payments allegedly routed through middlemen.

During the search of Jeena’s premises, the ED said it recovered ₹32 lakh in unexplained cash, gold coins and chains weighing approximately 200.5 grams, besides 12 luxury watches from brands including Rolex, Rado, Piaget, Movado, Tissot and Casio Edifice.

The agency further said that bank accounts belonging to Jeena and his family members, containing funds totalling ₹52.16 lakh, were frozen. Jeena’s mobile phone was also seized for forensic examination.

“During the investigation, it was found that he has made huge expenses in cash also, with no explained source. The recovery, along with the cash expenses, is not substantiated with his known sources of income,” the ED alleged.

The agency also reported the recovery of unaccounted cash from former UKSSSC officials and other persons associated with the case. Gold jewellery was also recovered in some instances.

The latest searches mark another significant step in the investigation into alleged manipulation of the 2016 recruitment examination. With the ED examining financial transactions, cash expenditures and assets alongside the alleged examination irregularities, the probe is now focusing not only on how the examination process was compromised but also on the suspected financial trail arising from it.