New Delhi: A video of hordes of cash being recovered during a raid by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal and her aide went viral on Friday. The raid was conducted at multiple premises in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged embezzlement of over Rs 18 crore MGNREGA funds in Khunti district during 2008-11.
The video shows several ED officials taking the help of three-four banknote counters to count the sheer amount of notes recovered during the raid. The cash recovered from the premises of Ranchi-based chartered accountant was about Rs 17 crore, PTI reported.
Watch the video here:
About Rs 1.8 crore cash has been recovered from other premises in the city, PTI quoted ED officials as saying.
The searches were carried out at about 18 premises in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab, and a few other states.
Pooja Singhal, an IAS officer, is the secretary of the department of mines and geology of Jharkhand government. She was posted as the deputy commissioner in Khunti district earlier, PTI rpeorted.
In connection with the case, former junior engineer in Jharkhand government, Ram Binod Prasad Sinha, was arrested on June 17, 2020 from West Bengal by the ED. His assets worth Rs 4.28 crore were also attached by the ED.
The arrest came after ED took cognisance of 16 FIRs and chargesheets filed by the Jharkhand vigilance bureau against Sinha. The vigilance bureau alleged that the accused abused his official position and misappropriated Rs 18.06 crore of government funds.
The money was earmarked for execution of government projects under MNREGA scheme in Khunti district.