Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal arrested

IAS officer Pooja Singhal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds and other charges. 

Enforcement Directorate has arrested Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal after over seven hours of questioning in Ranchi in connection with a money-laundering probe linked to alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds and other charges. 

On Tuesday, Singhal had been questioned for around 9 hours. During raids carried out in Ranchi on Friday by the Enforcement Directorate at Singhal's home and other locations, the central agency had seized a total of Rs 19.31 crore in cash. 

The agency recovered Rs 17.51 crore in cash from the premises of Chartered Accountant-cum-financial advisor Suman Kumar whose links to Pooja Singhal and her family are being investigated.

During interrogation, Singhal denied her involvement in the MNREGA scam. She told the Enforcement Directorate that she never took money from MNREGA scam accused Ramvinod Sinha or any other official. The central agency had questioned Singhal's husband Abhishek Jha and Chartered Accountant Suman Kumar for three consecutive days.

Who is IAS officer Pooja Singhal?

Singhal, 2000 batch IAS officer, was posted in Ranchi as secretary of the Department of Mines and Geology of Jharkhand government. She is also the chairman of Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation. Earlier, she was posted as the agriculture secretary in the BJP government.

The IAS officer is reportedly facing a number of serious allegations of financial irregularities during her tenure as Deputy Commissioner in Khunti, Chatra and Palamu districts. During her tenure as deputy commissioner of Palamu, she was accused of moving nearly 83 acres of land to a private firm for mining.

Her husband, Abhishek Jha is the managing director of Pulse Super specialty hospital in Ranchi. She was earlier married to IAS officer Rahul Purwar.

To note, the IAS officer's brother Sidharth Singhal, who was one of the directors of Pulse Super specialty hospital, is also under the Enforcement Directorate scanner in connection to the alleged embezzlement of MNREGA funds.