ED raids premises linked to Jharkhand CM Soren’s aide, a day after ignoring 7th summons

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday raided locations linked to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s press advisor Abhishek Prasad and Sahibganj deputy commissioner Ram Niwas Yadav as well as an architect in connection with their alleged involvement in the illegal mining case in Sahibganj.

The raids come a day after Soren did not pay heed to the seventh summon issued to him by the ED for questioning in an ongoing investigation.

The central agency is conducting searches at about a dozen locations under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, they said. ED has issued summons to the Jharkhand CM multiple times seeking his questioning.

In response to the ED’s sixth summons on December 12, Soren had sent a letter to the agency, stating that in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s preliminary inquiry, based on a complaint lodged with the Lokpal, all his assets and those of his family had been disclosed.

While the ED had said this was the last opportunity for Soren to join questioning, he had, in a letter on January 2, said he would challenge the entire investigation in a court of law.

The Jharkhand Chief Minister said that he was being called in for questioning by the ED only because “he doesn’t belong to any political party in power at the Centre”.

“Issuance of repeated summons is actually malice and part of a political conspiracy to destabilise a democratically elected government. The undersigned shall readily provide any information or documents which you may bona fide require and which are not already available with you, provided you are entitled to seek the same in accordance with law,” the CM wrote to the ED, as quoted by the Indian Express.

The agency has arrested 14 persons in connection with the case, including Chhavi Ranjan, a 2011-batch IAS officer, who previously held positions as the director of the state social welfare department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.

Since 2022, ED has been investigating a financial trail amounting to Rs 100 crore, identified as "proceeds of crime," originating from illegal mining operations in the state.

Also Read: YS Sharmila accepts Congress invitation to join party; to merge YSRTP