Jharkhand Minister Alamgir Alam arrested by ED in money laundering case

Jharkhand's Rural Development minister Alamgir Alam was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after questioning by the probing agency in Ranchi in a money laundering case. The action against the minister has been taken in connection with a huge cash recovery from the household help.

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday arrested Jharkhand Minister and Congress leader Alamgir Alam in connection in connection with a money laundering case. Alam's arrest came a day after the central investigative agency interrogated him for more than nine hours at its zonal headquarters in Ranchi.

On May 6, the Enforcement Directorate raided Jahangi Alam's flat, which is the home of Alamgir Alam's personal assistant Sanjeev Lal, and seized about Rs 37 crore in cash. Following the raid, both Alam and Lal were taken into custody. All the money was from commission in lieu of tender for road construction in rural areas.

The raids were part of an ongoing investigation into a money laundering case involving Virendra K Ram, former chief engineer of the Jharkhand Rural Development Department, who was taken into custody last year. It was connected to allegations of anomalies in the department's implementation of certain initiatives.

During the raid, several counting machines were also brought in to count the unaccounted cash, which was mainly in the denomination of Rs 500. In addition, agency officials also recovered some jewellery from the flat of Alam.

Alam, 70, was asked to depose at the zonal office of the ED in Ranchi on Tuesday for recording his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)