Ranchi, May 7 -- In a crackdown, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Tuesday, detained Sanjiv Lal, personal secretary to Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam, and his domestic help, following the discovery of a substantial cash sum exceeding Rs 35 crore in a flat associated with them. The ED's actions continued with additional searches at five sites, leading to the confiscation of Rs 1.5 crore from a contractor, Rajiv Kumar, bringing the total recovered amount to Rs 36.75 crore.
Lal and his domestic help, Jehangir Alam, were apprehended under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after extensive questioning. Officials reported their lack of cooperation and evasive responses during the investigation.
The ED's probe into suspected malpractices within the state's rural development department led them to a two-bedroom flat in Ranchi, reportedly used by Jehangir Alam. An SUV registered in Jharkhand, believed to be utilised by Jehangir, was also seized.
The agency's search yielded over Rs 32 crore from the Gadikhana chowk flat and an additional Rs 3 crore from other locations. Minister Alamgir Alam has publicly refuted any involvement in the misconduct. Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the seizure during his campaign stops in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, questioning the association of the individuals involved with the Congress party's leadership.
The Opposition, including the Congress, has accused the ruling BJP of exploiting agencies like the ED to pursue political adversaries. Documents seized from the flat include a May 2023 official communication from the ED's Ranchi unit to the Jharkhand chief secretary, advocating for an independent inquiry and FIR registration based on alleged bribe revelations linked to the rural development department's contracts. These purported disclosures were made by former chief engineer of the rural works department Veerendra Kumar Ram, who was arrested by the ED in the case last year.
Some recommendation letters written by MLAs and other high-profile people to Alamgir Alam for favourable transfers and postings of state government officials have also been found from the said premises, the sources had said.
The searches in which this huge cash recovery was made were linked to a money-laundering case against 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. "The proceeds of crime thus generated were used by Veerendra Kumar Ram and his family members to live a very lavish lifestyle," it said.
The money-laundering case against Ram stems from a complaint filed by the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.