Jharkhand Land Scam Case: ED Questions Congress's Dhiraj Sahu For 11 Hours In Probe Against Hemant Soren

Dhiraj Sahu arrived at the ED's regional office around 11 am and left at 10 pm. As the interrogation could not be completed, Sahu has been summoned again for questioning on Sunday.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday questioned Congress's Rajya Sabha MP from Jharkhand, Dhiraj Prasad Sahu, for around 11 hours in relation to a money laundering case associated with alleged land scam, news agency PTI reported. This case recently led to the arrest of former chief minister Hemant Soren.

According to the news agency, Sahu arrived at the ED's regional office around 11 am and left at 10 pm. As the interrogation could not be completed, Sahu has been summoned again for questioning on Sunday, ED officials said.

Notably, the Congress MP made headlines in December last year when the Income Tax department seized Rs 351.8 crore in cash during raids on properties linked to an Odisha-based distillery.

The ED is currently taking Sahu's statement regarding his alleged connections with Soren and a luxury car that was seized by the agency from the JMM executive president’s residence in Delhi during a recent search operation, PTI reported.

As per the ED officials, the car’s key was found in a Jharkhand government-leased property in south Delhi during the raids, prompting the probe agency to take possession of the vehicle.

While leaving the ED office, Sahu said that the interrogation primarily revolved around the luxury vehicle.

“There is nothing much. The vehicle did not belong to the former CM and is owned by someone else. The investigations are on about this,” PTI quoted Sahu as saying. He also denied any involvement in the cash allegedly recovered from the vehicle.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that a WhatsApp group, where individuals linked to the case discussed the ownership details of the seized car in Delhi, has caught the attention of the central agency.

In a related development, Sahibganj Deputy Commissioner Ramniwas Yadav and Soren's press adviser Abhishek Prasad, alias Pintu, also appeared before the ED on Saturday for interrogation in connection with a money laundering investigation related to alleged illegal mining in the state, PTI reported.

Hemant Soren was arrested on January 31 after resigning as the Jharkhand chief minister, following which senior party leader and transport minister Champai Soren was appointed his successor.