The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said that it has seized Rs 11.88 crore in cash from 37 bank accounts belonging to Pankaj Mishra, a close aide to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and Mishra's associates, in connection with a case of money laundering linked to alleged illegal mining.
According to the agency, the cash came from illegal mining in multiple places, including Sahebganj, Soren’s constituency.
Cash was also seized from the bank accounts of Dahoo Yadav, an associate of Mishra.
On July 7, the ED searched 19 locations in Sahibganj, Barhet, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki, and Barharwa, Jharkhand, and seized papers and Rs 5.34 crore in "unaccounted currency."
“During this search operation, the ED also seized five stone crushers that were being illegally operated from the site, and also five illegal firearm cartridges. The evidence collected during the course of the investigation, including statements of various persons, digital evidence and documents, revealed that the seized cash/bank balance is derived from illegal mining being rampantly done in the Sahibganj area, including the forest area,” the agency said in a statement.
“A trail of further Rs 100 crore of proceeds of crime generated from illegal mining has also been unearthed,” it said.
The ED's action comes as Soren is under investigation for allegedly engaging in corrupt practices by giving his wife a plot and a mining lease, respectively. Basant Soren, a state MLA and Soren's brother, has already received a notice from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on the mining leasing problem.
Basant is an MLA from Dumka constituency.
Earlier, the ECI, which is examining whether Basant’s case could lead to his disqualification as an MLA, had sent a notice to the Chief Minister seeking his stand on the charges against him.
The allegations were first made at a press conference by former state chief minister and BJP leader Raghubar Das, who had also hinted that Mishra was involved in questionable deals.
In May, ED had conducted searches at 36 locations connected with alleged irregularities in the MNREGA scheme.
These locations included the premises of Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal. The agency also seized Rs 19.76 crore in cash.
“In this case also, evidence collected during the course of investigation including those collected during the searches and statements of various persons revealed that the major chunk of the seized cash was derived from illegal mining and was belonging to senior bureaucrats and politicians,” the ED statement said.
Singhal and Suman Kumar, alleged to be her Chartered Accountant, were arrested in this case and are now in judicial custody. A prosecution complaint has been filed in this case.
In all, the ED said, it has seized Rs 36.58 crore of allegedly illegal proceeds.
A toll tax contractor filed a complaint with the Badharwa police station in Sahibganj in June 2020, according to sources, which led to the case against Mishra. According to the complaint, Mishra and a minister in the Soren government got into a fight and one of them was allegedly assaulted.
