A court on Tuesday sent Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam's personal secretary Sanjiv Lal and his domestic help to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody for six days. This comes hours after Lal and domestic help were arrested following a recovery of more than Rs 32 crore in cash from a flat linked to them. According to the information, the duo were taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following their overnight questioning.
ED conducted raids in Ranchi
As part of a money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the state rural development department, the ED on Monday raided a two-bedroom flat in Ranchi that was allegedly occupied by Lal's domestic help, Jehangir Alam. The agency recovered more than Rs 32 crore in cash from the flat located at the Gadikhana chowk, apart from Rs 3 crore from some other premises that were searched. The total cash recovery stands at Rs 35.23 crore, the sources said. However, Jharkhand Rural Development Minister and Congress leader Alam has denied any wrongdoing on his part.
ED seizes official communication from May 2023
The federal agency also discovered an official communication dated May 2023 from the Ranchi unit of the ED in the flat. The communication was addressed to the Jharkhand chief secretary, urging an independent investigation and the filing of an FIR regarding alleged bribes received from contractors associated with the state rural development department. These allegations stemmed from disclosures reportedly made by Veerendra Kumar Ram, the former chief engineer of the rural works department, who was arrested by the ED in the previous year's case.
What led to ED searches?
Moreover, the authorities found recommendation letters penned by MLAs and other prominent individuals addressed to Alam, advocating for favourable transfers and postings of state government officials. These revelations were made during searches related to a money-laundering case involving Ram. "Veerendra Kumar Ram, posted as chief engineer in the Rural Works Department in Ranchi, had generated proceeds of crime in the name of commission from contractors in lieu of allotment of tenders to them," the agency had alleged in a statement in April last year, after it attached the officer's assets worth Rs 39 crore. It should be mentioned here that the money laundering case against Ram stems from a complaint filed by the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau.
(With inputs from agencies)
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