 "Ed raid in jharkhand")
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made a significant breakthrough, announcing the recovery of a substantial sum of "unaccounted cash" amounting to Rs 25 crore. The cache was found at the residence of a domestic helper allegedly associated with Jharkhand rural development minister Alamgir Alam's personal secretary, Sanjiv Lal.
The 70-year-old Alamgir Alam is a Congress leader and represents the Pakur seat in the Jharkhand Assembly.
A source closely associated with the ED confirmed the recovery and told the Hindustan Times (HT) that the process of counting the seized cash is still underway at the residence of the domestic worker, identified as Jahangir Alam. The residence, located at Sayed Residency near Ranchi Hill under the Sukhdeonagar police station area, has become the focal point of the investigation in the heart of the Jharkhand capital.
Videos captured during the raid showed wads of currency notes spread in a room that is alleged to be of the domestic help of Sanjiv Lal.
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#WATCH | The Enforcement Directorate is conducting raids at multiple locations in Ranchi. Huge amount of cash recovered from household help of Sanjiv Lal - PS to Jharkhand Rural Development minister Alamgir Alam, in Virendra Ram case.
— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2024
ED arrested Virendra K. Ram, the chief… pic.twitter.com/VTpUKBOPE7
How did ED's raid unfold?
The recovery stems from simultaneous raids conducted at nine locations across Ranchi, all linked to a money laundering case involving suspended Jharkhand chief engineer Virendra Ram.
Ram was arrested in February 2023 on charges of amassing wealth worth Rs 100 crore through illicit means, including "cuts" from contractors engaged in government schemes under the rural development department.
Among the targeted locations, the residence of road construction department engineer Vikas Kumar at Sail City was also included, alongside others in Bariatu, Boreya, and Morabadi. Several of these locations have direct ties to politicians and state officials, according to ED sources.
The arrest of Ram last year paved the way for further investigations, with ED informing a Ranchi court that a percentage of the commissions collected by the former chief engineer was distributed to senior bureaucrats and politicians in a “mechanised manner” within the state.
“Following the arrest of Ram on February 23 last year, on June 25 the same year, ED had arrested three persons — Neeraj Mittal and Ram Prakash Bhatia from Delhi in connection with illegal transactions of ₹121 crore in the case related to Ram, and a third identified as Tara Chand,” another ED source told HT.
“Ram played a pivotal role in managing tenders and allocation of work to private entities and the percentage of commission is distributed in a mechanised manner to higher ups of government, including highly placed bureaucrats and politicians. Further, during investigation, names of senior bureaucrats and politicians have emerged which are being investigated by ED,” the agency said in February 2023.
PM Modi reacts to Jharkhand cash recovery
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a public rally in Odisha’s Nabarangpur, reacted to the ED raid in Ranchi and said, “Aaj Jharkhand me noton ke pahad mil rahe hain [big heaps of cash are being found in Jharkhand]. Modi is taking action against corruption.”
#WATCH | Odisha: At a public gathering in Nabarangpur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says "Today, mountains of currency notes are being found in the neighbouring state Jharkhand. People are saying he did the theft and money is being taken by Modi. Now tell me, if I stop their… pic.twitter.com/aUM9ZjkTLk
— ANI (@ANI) May 6, 2024
Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam denied having any “official information” regarding the searches. “I have been watching TV and it says the premises are linked to the official PS [private secretary] provided to me by the government,” he said.
“Sanjiv Lal is a government employee. He is my personal secretary. Sanjiv Lal has already been a personal secretary of two former ministers. There are several government employees and we usually appoint personal secretaries based on experience. It is not right to comment on the raids before the ED investigation is completed…” Alamgir Alam added.
Highest black money haul ever in tax raids
Meanwhile, in December last year, Income Tax raided the premises linked to Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Sahu in Odisha and Jharkhand. Over Rs 300 crore in unaccounted cash was seized during the raids, making it the "highest-ever" black money haul by any agency in a single operation, news agency PTI reported.
Pankaj Mishra, a close aide of jailed and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, was also arrested in 2022 for money laundering in an illegal mining case.
