Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made severe allegations against the arrested Jharkhand’s Rural Development minister, Alamgir Alam, in connection with a money laundering case being investigated by the agency.
The agency, in its remand petition filed before a court on May 16 alleged that the nabbed Congress leader has a share of 1.5 per cent in the illegal money generated as a commission for managing tenders.
The agency has further claimed that a hefty sum of Rs3 crore as commission money was also paid to a close aide of Alamgir in September 2022 by an assistant engineer of the department.
According to the reports, the ED in the petition filed has also mentioned about the confession made by Virendra Ram, former chief engineer of the Jharkhand rural development department and accused in the case. Virendra was arrested by the agency in February last year.
Further, the agency has claimed that the money recovered (over 30 crore) from the premises of Alamgir’s Personal Secretary (PS) Sanjiv Lal’s domestic help Jehangir is directly linked to the Jharkhand minister. Jehangir has been collecting the money on the instruction of Alamgir’s PS Sanjiv.
In the petition filed, the economic intelligence agency has further hinted about the possible involvement of other officials of the department in the case.
Alamgir granted six days’ remand
Earlier, the agency after arresting the Jharkhand minister, produced him before a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) special court and demanded a 10-day remand of Alam.
However, the special court only agreed to allow a six-day custody of the Congress heavyweight, following which he was sent to the Hotwar Jail in judicial custody. ED is expected to begin its interrogation from Friday.
It is noteworthy that Alamgir Alam, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after he appeared before the Ranchi based zonal office of the agency on May 15. He was apprehended by the officials after he reportedly did not cooperate during the preliminary enquiry.
The minister from the Congress quota in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) led coalition government was asked to appear before the agency on Wednesday after he was grilled by the sleuths of the agencies for around nine hours on May 14.
According to the reports, the congress leader was asked questions pertaining to recovery made by the agency from the house help of his Personal Secretary (PS) Sanjiv Lal to which Alam reportedly expressed ignorance.
Alam had reportedly informed the officials that he was not aware of the activities of Jehangir, the help of Alam’s PS Sanjiv. He also expressed ignorance about questions linked to Virendra Ram following which he was arrested by the agency on Wednesday evening.
Recovery made by the ED
It must be noted that ED raided a number of locations, including the premises linked to Alamgir Alam PS, Sanjiv Lal, and his domestic help Jahangir, in connection with the case on May 6.
During the raids conducted by the agency, it has recovered huge cash haul of around Rs 37 37 crore from separate locations, including the recovery of over Rs 32 crore from Jehangir’s Ranchi based flat. After the recovery of the cash, bank officials and counting machines were called on the spot to count the cash.
The officials of the agency during the raids had also seized important documents and letters from the house of the accused, Jehangir, following which both Jehangir and Sanjiv were detained by the agency for initial interrogation.
Later on, the ED arrested both Sanjiv and his housekeeper after the latter reportedly confessed about being a caretaker of the cash recovered from the premises linked to Lal. The duo were then taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The Enforcement Directorate is conducting raids at multiple locations in #Ranchi
Huge amount of cash has been recovered from household help of Sanjiv Lal – PS to Jharkhand Rural Development minister Alamgir Alam, in Virendra Ram case
ED arrested Virendra K. Ram, the chief… pic.twitter.com/utkxozEWuA
— Organiser Weekly (@eOrganiser) May 6, 2024
BJP trained guns at coalition government
Meanwhile, slamming the incumbent government for wide scale corruption, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president of the Jharkhand unit, Babu Lal Marandi, said that the Congress minister has amassed a mountain of money by taking commissions in sand, stone, coal and MNREGA schemes. All that money has been looted from the people.
कांग्रेसी मंत्री आलमगीर आलम ने बालू, पत्थर, कोयला और मनरेगा योजनाओं में कमीशनखोरी कर जो नोटों का पहाड़ खड़ा किया, वो सारे पैसे जनता के हक़ से लुटे गए हैं।
कांग्रेस झामुमो की सरकार इनके उपर कारवाई करने के बदले संरक्षण दे रही है।
मेरी आप सबों से अपील है, भ्रष्टाचार करने वाले… pic.twitter.com/iBSL7nV6Cb
— Babulal Marandi (@yourBabulal) May 16, 2024
The BJP stalwart, while addressing a gathering, further said, “I appeal to all of you, send me a list of people involved in corruption and I assure you that everyone involved in looting the public money will be sent behind the bars.”
These people (leaders of the coalition government) claim that they are being implicated, I want to ask them why money is being recovered from them only, whoever found to be in possession of such money will have to go to jail, no one can save them, added Marandi.
