The Enforcement Directorate (ED) executed a series of operations in Ranchi, culminating in the confiscation of Rs 1 crore in liquid assets and 100 rounds of live ammunition. These actions form part of an ongoing inquiry into purported money laundering linked to a land acquisition scandal implicating former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his associates, as reported by PTI.
This significant seizure transpired on Friday evening at the Kanke Road domicile of Kamlesh Singh. The raids, targeting the alleged land acquisition case against Hemant Soren, a prominent figure in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), are connected to a separate parcel of land, according to sources cited by PTI.
In conjunction with the recovery of live ammunition, authorities have instituted legal proceedings under the Arms Act. The ED has detained over 25 individuals, including Soren, former Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Chhavi Ranjan, and Bhanu Pratap Prasad, as part of their comprehensive investigation.
The agency has also seized land assets worth Rs 266 crore, encompassing various plots totaling 8.86 acres in the Bargain area of Ranchi, which are allegedly acquired illicitly by Soren. To date, four chargesheets have been submitted in relation to the case.
Hemant Soren, aged 48, has fervently repudiated the land acquisition allegations, attributing the money laundering accusations to a political vendetta orchestrated by the BJP-led central administration. Soren’s arrest by the ED occurred on January 31, immediately following his resignation as Jharkhand Chief Minister from the Ranchi Raj Bhavan.
