Jharkhand minister’s aide among two held

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 7

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday arrested Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam’s personal assistant (PA) Sanjiv Lal and the latter’s domestic help, following the recovery of more than Rs 35 crore in cash, official sources said.

Later, a Ranchi court remanded them in six-day ED custody.

According to the official sources, the two were taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act following their overnight questioning, hours after the recovery of cash.

As part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the state Rural Development Department, the ED had on Monday raided a two-bedroom flat in Ranchi that was allegedly occupied by Lal’s domestic help.

The agency recovered more than Rs 30 crore in cash from the flat apart from Rs 3 crore from some other places that were searched. The total cash recovery stands at Rs 35.23 crore, the sources said.

However, Alam has distanced himself from the incident.

The case is linked to the arrest of Water Resources Department engineer Virendra Ram. The ED had said Ram was arrested on February 23 when he was on deputation as Chief Engineer with the Rural Works Department and Rural Development Department. The agency claimed that Ram allegedly used to collect commissions in allocation of tender and execution of works and a fixed share of 1.5 per cent was distributed among his seniors and politicians.

Addressing an election rally in Andhra Pradesh on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi while referring to the ED seizure, had sought to know as to why those from whom huge mountains of cash were recovered, were close to the Congress’ first family.

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