More ED raids in IAS Pooja Singhal case, 7 locations in Jharkhand & Bihar searched

New Delhi: Days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Jharkhand IAS officer Pooja Singhal for alleged misappropriation of funds, the sleuths on Tuesday conducted fresh searches at 6 locations in Jharkhand & 1 in Bihar.

The ED conducted these raids in connection with mining scam case related to suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal. More details about raids are being awaited.

In one of the biggest raids, the investigating agency had seized more than 17 crores from the premises of Pooja Singhal’s CA and the same was claimed by the latter. In a statement, he said that the money recovered from his premises belonged to the tainted IAS officer.

In its affidavit, the ED has said that the senior bureaucrat was involved in several instances of money laundering and played key role in awarding mining contracts to the mafias of state in return for ‘financial rewards’.

Pooja Singhal was arrested by ED on May 11 and was suspended by Jharkhand govt, a day later. She was sent to 5-day ED custody.

Soren government in trouble?

After ED raids, the tension within Hemant Soren government is palpable, as Pooja Singhal was a senior bureaucrat in JMM govt and awarded contracts when she was the mining secretary.

The Election Commission has already served him a notice in an office-for-profit charge against him. In its notice to Soren govt, the EC asked the Chief Minister ‘why no action should be initiated against him?’

The Chief Minister reportedly got a mining lease allotted in his name last year.

If law takes its due course, the CM may face disqualification also for entering into a government contract under Section 9A of Representation of People Act.

Opposition BJP has been quick to demand his resignation and accused the Chief Minister of abusing power for ‘pocketing’ a stone quarry in his name on a government land outside Ranchi.