By PTI
RANCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Pankaj Mishra, a political aide of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, on Tuesday in reference to a money-laundering probe linked to alleged unlawful mining within the state, officers mentioned.
They mentioned Mishra was arrested below the prison sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), including that he was “evasive in his replies” throughout questioning.
Mishra is predicted to be produced earlier than a Ranchi courtroom on Wednesday, the place the ED will search his custody.
The federal probe company had raided not less than 19 places in Sahibganj, Barhet, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki and Barharwa in Jharkhand on July 8 as a part of the probe towards Mishra linked to alleged irregularities within the operation of toll plaza tenders and cases of unlawful mining within the state.
After the raids, the ED had frozen deposits of Rs 11.88 crore mendacity in 37 financial institution accounts belonging to Mishra and Dahoo Yadav, an individual linked to him.
Apart from this, “unaccounted” money amounting to Rs 5.34 crore was additionally seized by the company, which claimed that the cash was linked to “illegal mining” in Jharkhand.
Five stone crushers that have been being “illegally” operated and an equal variety of “illegal firearm cartridges” have been additionally seized by the ED.
“The evidence collected during the course of the investigation, including the statements of various persons, digital evidence and documents, revealed that the seized cash/bank balance is derived from illegal mining being rampantly done in the Sahibganj area including the forest area,” the ED mentioned.
The company mentioned it was probing a path of Rs 100 crore of “proceeds of crime” generated from unlawful mining operations within the state.
It had not too long ago said that money amounting to greater than Rs 36 crore, linked to “illegal mining” in Jharkhand, was seized by its groups over the past greater than two months as a part of two separate money-laundering investigations.
The second occasion the place money linked to alleged unlawful mining within the state was unearthed pertains to the ED motion towards suspended Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Pooja Singhal in May.
Apart from the 2000-batch IAS officer, her businessman husband, a chartered accountant linked to the couple and others have been raided by the ED as a part of a money-laundering probe linked to a case of alleged corruption within the MGNREGA scheme.
Singhal, who was holding the cost of Jharkhand mining secretary, was suspended by the state authorities following her arrest by the ED.
Suman Kumar, a chartered accountant linked to Singhal and her husband, was additionally arrested by the company and money amounting to Rs 19.76 crore was seized by it.
A chargesheet towards Singhal and others was filed by the company earlier than a particular PMLA courtroom in Ranchi this month.
“Evidence collected during the course of the investigation (against Singhal and others), including those collected during the searches and statements of various persons, revealed that the major chunk of the seized cash was derived from illegal mining and it belonged to senior bureaucrats and politicians,” the ED had mentioned.
The complete money seizure within the two instances linked to “illegal” mining in Jharkhand stands at Rs 36.98 crore, the company mentioned.
The ED motion comes at a time when Soren is embroiled in a case of proudly owning a mining lease within the state.
The Election Commission (EC) is listening to the case because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sought Soren’s disqualification as an MLA below the electoral regulation.
Following a reference from the Jharkhand governor, the EC had, in May, issued a discover to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief below part 9A of the Representation of the People Act as it’s alleged that proudly owning the lease violates this regulation.
Soren’s authorized staff, nevertheless, has maintained that part 9A of the Act doesn’t apply to the case and cited a Supreme Court ruling.
RANCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Pankaj Mishra, a political aide of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, on Tuesday in reference to a money-laundering probe linked to alleged unlawful mining within the state, officers mentioned.
They mentioned Mishra was arrested below the prison sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), including that he was “evasive in his replies” throughout questioning.
Mishra is predicted to be produced earlier than a Ranchi courtroom on Wednesday, the place the ED will search his custody.
The federal probe company had raided not less than 19 places in Sahibganj, Barhet, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki and Barharwa in Jharkhand on July 8 as a part of the probe towards Mishra linked to alleged irregularities within the operation of toll plaza tenders and cases of unlawful mining within the state.
After the raids, the ED had frozen deposits of Rs 11.88 crore mendacity in 37 financial institution accounts belonging to Mishra and Dahoo Yadav, an individual linked to him.
Apart from this, “unaccounted” money amounting to Rs 5.34 crore was additionally seized by the company, which claimed that the cash was linked to “illegal mining” in Jharkhand.
Five stone crushers that have been being “illegally” operated and an equal variety of “illegal firearm cartridges” have been additionally seized by the ED.
“The evidence collected during the course of the investigation, including the statements of various persons, digital evidence and documents, revealed that the seized cash/bank balance is derived from illegal mining being rampantly done in the Sahibganj area including the forest area,” the ED mentioned.
The company mentioned it was probing a path of Rs 100 crore of “proceeds of crime” generated from unlawful mining operations within the state.
It had not too long ago said that money amounting to greater than Rs 36 crore, linked to “illegal mining” in Jharkhand, was seized by its groups over the past greater than two months as a part of two separate money-laundering investigations.
The second occasion the place money linked to alleged unlawful mining within the state was unearthed pertains to the ED motion towards suspended Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Pooja Singhal in May.
Apart from the 2000-batch IAS officer, her businessman husband, a chartered accountant linked to the couple and others have been raided by the ED as a part of a money-laundering probe linked to a case of alleged corruption within the MGNREGA scheme.
Singhal, who was holding the cost of Jharkhand mining secretary, was suspended by the state authorities following her arrest by the ED.
Suman Kumar, a chartered accountant linked to Singhal and her husband, was additionally arrested by the company and money amounting to Rs 19.76 crore was seized by it.
A chargesheet towards Singhal and others was filed by the company earlier than a particular PMLA courtroom in Ranchi this month.
“Evidence collected during the course of the investigation (against Singhal and others), including those collected during the searches and statements of various persons, revealed that the major chunk of the seized cash was derived from illegal mining and it belonged to senior bureaucrats and politicians,” the ED had mentioned.
The complete money seizure within the two instances linked to “illegal” mining in Jharkhand stands at Rs 36.98 crore, the company mentioned.
The ED motion comes at a time when Soren is embroiled in a case of proudly owning a mining lease within the state.
The Election Commission (EC) is listening to the case because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has sought Soren’s disqualification as an MLA below the electoral regulation.
Following a reference from the Jharkhand governor, the EC had, in May, issued a discover to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief below part 9A of the Representation of the People Act as it’s alleged that proudly owning the lease violates this regulation.
Soren’s authorized staff, nevertheless, has maintained that part 9A of the Act doesn’t apply to the case and cited a Supreme Court ruling.