Illegal mining case: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday raided the premises of some close associates of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in Ranchi and Rajasthan in connection with an illegal mining case.
ED raids are currently being conducted at more than 10 locations in the state under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
ED raids Jharkhand CM's press advisor
The central agency is conducting raids at the premises of Hemant Soren's press advisor Abhishek Prasad alias Pintu. The premises of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Jharkhand's Hazaribag Rajendra Dubey is also being raided by the central probe agency.
Searches are also being conducted at the premises of Ram Nivas, the District Collector of Sahibganj, and his residence in his native place in Rajasthan.
The agency has been investigating a trail of Rs 100 crore of proceeds of crime generated from illegal mining operations in the state since 2022.
Soren on ED summon
Chief Minister Soren has skipped the Enforcement Directorate summons for seven times so far.
The first summon was issued for August 14. He had filed a petition before the Supreme Court and then the Jharkhand High Court seeking protection from the ED action and terming the summons "unwarranted". Both the courts had dismissed his petition.
Soren had claimed in the High Court that the summons was issued out of malice and false allegations had been levelled against him with the sole motive of creating political uncertainty and unrest in Jharkhand.
The probe pertains to a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand, according to the ED.
ED arrested 14 people
The Enforcement Directorate has arrested 14 people in connection with the case, including Chhavi Ranjan, a 2011-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who had previously served as the director of the state social welfare department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.
Soren was questioned by the ED in November last year in another money-laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining in the state.
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