Cash Seizure in Ranchi Leads to High-Profile Arrests

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) made a significant cash seizure of over ₹36 crore in Ranchi, Jharkhand, leading to the arrest of Sanjiv Lal, the personal secretary to state rural development minister Alamgir Alam, and Lal's maid Jahangir Alam. The duo was presented before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court and remanded to six days of ED custody. The ED conducted raids on the premises of Sanjiv Lal and Alamgir Alam, resulting in the seizure of a total of ₹35.23 crore. Additionally, fresh searches were carried out at five locations in Ranchi, leading to the confiscation of around ₹1.5 crore from a contractor named Rajiv Kumar Singh. Notably, ₹32.20 crore was recovered from Jahangir Alam's residence and ₹3 crore from another location. The probe agency utilized 12 hours and six counting machines to complete the cash counting process, during which official communication between the ED and the state government was found alongside the cash stash. The ED has alleged the involvement of officials from the rural development department, from 'top to bottom', in an illegal cash payment nexus. Alamgir Alam distanced himself from Sanjiv Lal's activities, mentioning that Lal had previously served other state government ministers. Sanjiv Lal was reportedly engaged in collecting commissions on tenders for influential individuals and managing tender processes. The case has also brought to light the names of senior bureaucrats and politicians, which are currently under investigation by the ED. Furthermore, the Chief Engineer at the Jharkhand Rural Development Department, Virendra K Ram, was arrested in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in scheme implementation.