ED raids Jharkhand minister's secretary, seizes over Rs 20 crore; counting on (WATCH)

The Enforcement Directorate raided Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alan's personal secretary's house, and seized cash, estimated to be Rs 20-Rs 30 crore, from his house help. More cash recovery is expected as counting machines are being brought.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Monday that it found a large quantity of "unaccounted" cash during searches of premises purportedly related to Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam's Personal Secretary Sanjiv Lal. According to reports, the CBI collected over Rs 20 crore in cash from the home assistance of Sanjiv Lal PS to Alamgir Alam.

Video footage of the search showed wads of currency notes spread in a room that is alleged to be of the domestic help of Sanjiv Lal PS to Alamgir Alam.

The searches were conducted in conjunction with a money laundering case involving Virendra K Ram, the former chief engineer of the rural development department, who was detained by the investigation agency last year.

Veerendra K Ram, suspected of amassing property worth 100 crore, was detained by the ED in February 2023 in a money laundering case stemming from alleged flaws in the implementation of several projects.

The investigation agency is carrying out simultaneous searches at nine places, including Sail City in Ranchi. On Monday morning, one ED team searched Sail City for Vikas Kumar, an engineer from the Road Construction Department. Another ED team is conducting raids in the Bariatu, Morhabadi, and Bodia regions.