The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Jharkhand): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Sanjiv Lal, the personal secretary of Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam, along with his house help Jehangir, following the discovery of a large sum of money. The cash, totaling Rs 32 crore, was found at the domestic help’s apartment in Ranchi. An additional Rs 3 crore was recovered from other locations, bringing the total to Rs 35.23 crore.
Both individuals were detained under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after extensive overnight questioning, as per sources quoted by PTI. During the operation, the ED deployed eight note-counting machines and bank staff to manage the significant volume of Rs 500 notes. The task was so demanding that two of the machines malfunctioned due to overheating.
Security was tight during the raids, with central paramilitary forces guarding the premises. To transport the seized money for banking, large trunks were utilized.
The operation involved searches at six locations, where the ED found smaller sums of Rs 2.93 crore and Rs 10 lakh, along with some jewelry.
These actions are part of a broader money laundering investigation linked to suspected corruption within the state’s rural development department. The case expanded following last year’s arrest of Virendra Ram, a chief engineer accused of laundering kickbacks from awarded contracts.
Alamgir Alam, the Jharkhand Rural Development Minister, has denied any involvement. He remarked to PTI that his knowledge of the events was limited to media reports, noting the premises searched were associated with his government-appointed private secretary.
