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In a significant development, a team from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has reached the official residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in Delhi as part of an ongoing investigation into a money laundering case associated with an alleged land scam.
The ED’s move comes after Chief Minister Hemant Soren skipped summons from the agency on nine occasions. Notably, the investigation is focused on a large-scale racket involving the illegal change of land ownership by a mafia in Jharkhand.
The latest twist in the saga occurred when Soren, in response to a fresh summons issued by the ED on January 27, made an unplanned visit to Delhi on Saturday night. The summons had requested his presence for the investigation into the money laundering case, providing options for questioning on either January 29 or January 31.
ED Team Reaches CM Hemant Soren’s Delhi Residence. Soren’s initial statement was recorded by the ED on January 20 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during a nearly seven-hour session at his official residence in Ranchi. However, as the questioning was not completed that day, a fresh summons was issued, leading to the ED team’s arrival at his Delhi residence.
The investigation has already resulted in the arrest of 14 individuals, including Chhavi Ranjan, a 2011-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. Ranjan, who previously served as the director of the state social welfare department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi, is among those implicated in the alleged land scam.
The unfolding situation adds a layer of complexity to the legal proceedings, as the ED intensifies its efforts to uncover the details of the money laundering case and its connection to the illicit land transactions in Jharkhand.
