Alamgir Alam, the minister for rural development in Jharkhand, was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) following questioning by the investigation agency in Ranchi regarding a potential money laundering case.

The minister is being prosecuted in relation to a substantial financial recovery from his Personal Secretary (PS), Sanjeev Lal, who assisted with home chores.

From Jahangir Alam’s residence, the Enforcement Directorate had taken more than Rs 35 crore in cash. The entire sum came from commissions rather than bids for building roads in rural regions. Today, Alamgir was arrested by the agency after the ED expressed dissatisfaction with his response.

After recovering over Rs 35 crore in cash, ED had arrested Sanjeev Kumar Lal and his servant Jahangir Alam.

The ED raided the homes of Alamgir Alam’s PS and other close colleagues on May 6. Late at night, the counting of the confiscated banknotes resumed, and a total of Rs 35.23 crore was retrieved.

In first interrogation, Jahangir Alam reportedly acknowledged to officials that he was a custodian of “commission and bribe-acquired money,” for which he was paid approximately Rs 15,000 per month.

Additionally, the Enforcement Department (ED) has confiscated Rs 2.93 crore from the property of Sanjeev’s wife’s construction company partner, builder Munna Singh, and Rs 10 lakh from his residence.

Though Sanjeev first denied having any ownership over the money taken from Jahangir’s apartment, the agency eventually detained him based on credible evidence and Jahangir’s testimony. The ED also took various documents during the Monday operation, including ones pertaining to the transfer-posting of officials.

The suggestion for the assignment of bureaucrats made by Rajesh Thakur, the president of the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress, is also mentioned in these records. There was also a letter that the ED had received from the state’s Chief Secretary requesting that a FIR be filed citing irregularities in the Rural Development Department.

It is thought that the government leaked the ED’s letter to department officials rather than acting upon it.

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ED arrests Jharkhand minister after Rs 35 crore in cash seized in Ranchi