Jharkhand: ED arrests Congress leader’s secretary Sanjeev Lal after ₹35 crore cash recovery
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Sanjeev Lal, the personal secretary to Jharkhand rural development minister Alamgir Alam, and his domestic help Jahangir Alam late on Monday night after recovery of ₹35.23 crore cash from house in Ranchi.
Sanjeev Lal and Jahangir Alam were taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following their overnight questioning, unnamed sources told news agency PTI.
On Monday, the ED had raided a 2BHK flat in Ranchi that is allegedly occupied by Jahangir Alam, as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the state rural development department.
The sleuths of ED had recovered over ₹32 crore cash apart from ₹3 crore from some other premises that were searched by the central agency. The total cash recovery stands at ₹35.23 crore, the sources said.
Alamgir Alam, meanwhile, has denied any wrongdoing on his part.
Cash recovery by ED
Steel trunks filled with recovered cash were taken away from the residence by ED officials on Monday night. tHE recovery is in connection with the ongoing investigation into the case of Virendra K Ram, the chief engineer at the Jharkhand rural development department.
Videos and photos shared on social media showed officials of the agency emptying wads of currency notes from large bags in a 2BHK flat located at Gadikhana Chowk.
As many as eight note-counting machines were deployed by the agency apart from bank staff to ascertain the exact amount of currency that was majorly in the ₹500 denomination. Personnel of central paramilitary forces stood guard at the building where the flat is located.
In 2019, a massive amount of cash was recovered from one of his subordinates. Later, the ED took over the case under the PMLA. The ED arrested Virendra K Ram in February 2023 in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the implementation of some schemes.
Virendra K Ram was nabbed after it launched multiple searches on February 21, 2023, in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and a few other places in Jharkhand, Bihar and Delhi.