Jharkhand minister’s secretary raided by ED, huge amount of cash recovered

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is currently conducting raids at various locations in Ranchi. A huge amount of cash has been recovered from the household help of Sanjiv Lal, the personal secretary to Jharkhand rural development minister Alamgir Alam, in connection with the Virendra Ram case.

Sources from the ED revealed that they are counting the seized cash to determine its precise amount, estimated to be between ₹20-30 crore. The majority of the cash is in ₹500 denominations, and authorities have also recovered some jewellery alongside it, PTI reported.

Alam, 70, is a prominent Congress leader who represents Pakur constituency in the Jharkhand assembly.

Footage showed officials from the central probe agency extracting bundles of currency notes from bags within a room.

What is the case?

The ED has made progress in its investigation into alleged corruption within Jharkhand’s rural development department. Virendra Ram, the department’s chief engineer, was arrested in February 2023 in connection with a money laundering case linked to suspected irregularities in the implementation of government schemes.

An FIR was filed by the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in November 2019, following the apprehension of Suresh Prasad Verma, a junior engineer, for accepting a bribe. During the ACB’s probe, a large amount of cash was discovered in a property owned by Verma and occupied by his cousin, Alok Ranjan, who has ties to Virendra Ram.

According to the ED’s remand note, Ram, along with his accountant, is accused of laundering illicit funds through fictitious transactions. The funds were allegedly funnelled into various bank accounts belonging to Ram and his family members. Additionally, the laundered money was purportedly utilised to purchase prime real estate in New Delhi, Jamshedpur, and Ranchi, as well as luxury vehicles.