New Delhi: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was remanded to judicial custody by a special PMLA court on Thursday in connection with a money laundering case related to an alleged land scam.
On February 2, the court granted five days of ED custody to Soren and extended it twice for seven days in total.
"Hemant Soren was produced before the special PMLA court today and he was remanded to judicial custody till February 22. We will file a bail application for him," said Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan, who appeared for the former chief minister, reported PTI.
Soren, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha executive president, was taken to Birsa Munda Central Jail at Hotwar in Ranchi from the court.
He was arrested on January 31 by the ED after a seven-hour grilling by the central agency in the money laundering case. He resigned as the chief minister before his arrest.
He stands accused of involvement in a case concerning the acquisition and possession of illegal immovable assets. The ED presented evidence in the form of a WhatsApp conversation between Soren and his alleged associate Binod Singh, PTI's report stated. The chat allegedly contained details about a proposed banquet hall intended for construction on an 8.5-acre plot in the Baragai area of Ranchi, which the ED claims was unlawfully acquired by Soren.
ED On Hemant Soren's Whatsapp Communications
The ED maintained that scrutiny of the WhatsApp communications between Soren and Binod Singh revealed a blueprint of the proposed banquet hall, which matched the location of the disputed 8.5-acre land allegedly owned by Soren. To corroborate their claims, the agency informed the court of a survey conducted on February 10, during which the proposed banquet's location as per Binod Singh's plan was found to align with Soren's purported land holdings, the report mentioned.
Moreover, the agency accused Soren of transferring the contested parcel of land to another individual subsequent to the commencement of the investigation.