Jharkhand cash haul: ED arrests minister Alamgir Alam days after cash recovery from personal secretary's maid

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested Jharkhand Rural Development Minister and Congress leader Alamgir Alam, days after recovery of a huge amount of cash from the household help of his personal secretary Sanjeev Lal.

The arrest came after the ED questioned the minister in Ranchi for the second consecutive day in a money laundering case.

On Tuesday, the minister was grilled by the federal agency for over nine hours. They had also recorded his statement.

One more wicket, says BJP

“One more wicket of corruption has fallen in Jharkhand today...this was supposed to happen. From a servant's house, ₹35 crore has been seized...this is just the beginning...now it is impossible for those in high positions to get away with corruption,” ANI quoted BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo as saying.

Also Read: Supreme Court disposes of former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's plea in money laundering case, calls it 'infructuous'

Arrests

On May 7, the probe agency seized nearly ₹36.75 crore crore during raids and later arrested Sanjiv Lal and Lal's domestic help Jahangir Alam.

The ED had informed a special PMLA court in Ranchi that Lal collected 'commission' on behalf of some influential people and government officials.

Also Read: BJP MP Jayant Sinha's son Aashir joins Congress in Jharkhand amid Lok Sabha Elections 2024

Amount seized

Of the seized cash, the agency had recovered ₹32.20 crore from a flat in Ranchi where Jahangir Alam was residing and about ₹3 crore from another location, including ₹10.05 lakh from Lal's residence. On May 8, the probe agency recovered ₹1.5 crore from a contractor's place.

The agency took over 12 hours to complete the counting process, and six counting machines were used to count the cash. 

The central agency had also claimed that officials from “top to bottom” were involved in an alleged illegal cash payment nexus.

Also Read: Six counting machines and 12 hours: ₹36.75 crore cash seized in Jharkhand's Ranchi 

People know me for 25-30 years: Alam

After the ED's seizure, Alamgir Alam distanced himself from the matter, saying that people had known him for 25-30 years and that his image was "not that of a corrupt person." He also claimed that the allegations had been levelled against him to "malign" his image.

"Elections are going on. The ED is investigating the matter. Being the minister of the department, they can interrogate me. I do not want to say anything about this. People are understanding everything," Alam told ANI on May 12.

PM Modi attacked Opposition

Last week, during his election campaign speeches in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh,  PM Modi had also mentioned the seizure of "mounds of cash".