Ranchi: The Enforcement Directorate has recovered Rs 19 crore worth of cash from the residence of Jharkhand Mines and Industries Department Secretary Pooja Singhal's Chartered Accountant Suman Kumari in connection with money laundering case, in Ranchi. Kumar has been detained and is being questioned along with his brother Pawan in connection with the case by the ED, which may interrogate Singhal in the coming days.
The ED on Friday conducted raids at multiple locations, including that of Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal, in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to alleged embezzlement of over Rs 18 crore MGNREGA funds in Khunti district of the state during 2008-11. The searches were carried out under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at about 18 premises in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, and a few other states they said.
The raids pertain to a money laundering case where a former junior engineer in the Jharkhand government, Ram Binod Prasad Sinha, was arrested on June 17, 2020, from the North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after it booked him under the PMLA. During the ED raid, ownership documents regarding Rs 150 crore investment linked to Singhal and her close friends were recovered.
According to ED sources, investment documents were also recovered during the raids at Pulse Hospital, owned by Singhal's husband. During the investigation, the role of other bureaucrats can also come to the fore in this case. The investigation of the documents seized from the places of Pooja Singhal has also been started in the ED office located at Airport Road in Ranchi.
Officers of many other departments including the Finance Department have also been engaged to investigate the matter. IAS officer Pooja Singhal's CA is originally from Saharsa, Bihar. Suman's acquaintances said that he was very fond of astrology during his studies and used to read many books on palmistry. After completing his CA studies, he came in contact with many senior officials.
After coming to Ranchi, Suman allegedly indulged in money laundering.
Also read: Jharkhand illegal mining case: ED raids multiple locations
