Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren will appear before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in Ranchi on Wednesday as part of a money laundering investigation in an alleged land fraud case, sources said.
The development comes after the probe agency camped at his Delhi residence for more than 10 hours on Monday to question him. According to the sources, ‘benami’ cash worth Rs 36 lakh along with a luxury SUV were seized from the house.
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It is also being claimed that some incriminating documents were also recovered by sleuths of the central agency.
The Jharkhand chief minister, who appeared in Ranchi on Tuesday amid the suspense about his whereabouts, also chaired a meeting of his party’s legislators.
The ED probe pertains to an alleged racket with regard to land deals in Jharkhand, involving manipulation of records by allegedly showing fake sellers and buyers along with forged paperwork.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had questioned Soren at his official residence in Ranchi on January 20 in the case and had issued a fresh summons to him asking him to confirm his availability for questioning on either January 29 or January 31, the official sources said.
The ED has, so far, arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan who served as the director of the state’s Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.