The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a raid at multiple locations in Jharkhand's capital Ranchi on Monday morning. ED officials claimed to have recovered over Rs 20 crore in cash from the domestic help of Sanjiv Lal, the personal secretary of Jharkhand Minister and senior Congress leader Alamgir Alam.
Who Is Alamgir Alam?
Alamgir Alam, 70, a senior Congress party leader, represents the Pakur constituency in the Jharkhand assembly. He serves as Rural Development Minister in the current state government, led by an alliance between the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal. It is led by Champai Soren, who took over after JMM chief Hemant Soren's arrest earlier this year.
Alam embarked on his political journey in 2000. From 2006 to 2009, Alam held the position of speaker in the assembly. In 2009, he lost the election but registered successive wins in the 2014 and 2019 Jharkhand assembly elections.
When asked about the raid, Alam told PTI, “I have no official information regarding this so far." He added, "I have been watching TV and it says the premises are linked to the official PS (private secretary) provided to me by the government."
Investigation In Rural Development Department
The raid was conducted in connection with a money laundering case against a former chief engineer in the rural development department, Virendra K Ram. He was arrested in February 2023 in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the implementation of some schemes. He was then suspended by the Jharkhand government.
After Ram was questioned, the ED conducted multiple searches on February 21, 2023, in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and a few other places in Jharkhand, Bihar, and Delhi. The ED had conducted raids at 24 locations across the country in connection with the case. The agency reportedly also seized some luxury cars and SUVs during the raids.