Jharkhand Govt Suspends Official After Arrest By ED In Money Laundering Case

On February 23, a special PMLA court sent Ram to ED custody for five days.

On February 23, a special PMLA court sent Ram to ED custody for five days.

New Delhi: Rural Development Department's Chief Engineer Virendra Kumar Ram, who was arrested on Wednesday by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the implementation of some schemes, has been suspended by the Jharkhand government.

On February 23, a special PMLA court sent Ram to ED custody for five days.

"Virendra Kumar Ram, Chief Engineer, Rural Development, has been suspended under Jharkhand Government Servant Rules-2016 with effect from February 23, 2023, the date he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate under Section 19 of the PMLA, till the next order," an official release said on Monday.

Ram was taken into ED custody after a prolonged session of questioning at the agency's office in Jharkhand capital Ranchi. The action came after the central probe agency launched multiple searches on February 21 in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and a few other places in Jharkhand, Bihar, and Delhi.

The Enforcement Directorate had conducted raids at 24 locations across the country linked to Virendra Ram.

Official sources had said Ram was "evasive" in his replies to the ED. 

The agency has seized some luxury cars and SUVs too from various premises, officials said. 

The money laundering case stems from a state vigilance bureau complaint into some alleged commission being paid in lieu of a grant of government work and a linked case of alleged possession of disproportionate assets.