SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, May 15: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today arrested Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam to probe his role in the multi-crore tender scam in Jharkhand amid the Lok Sabha elections in the State.
A well-placed ED source confirmed the action after the minister, who represents the Pakur assembly seat, bordering Bangladesh, did not cooperate with the agency during interrogation for the last two days. He will be produced in court tomorrow.
Alam happens to be one of ‘some influential persons’ on whose behalf his Private Secretary Sanjiv Lal collected commissions to manage tenders.
Alam was summoned today, again
Alam, also the Congress legislature party leader in the Jharkhand Assembly and parliamentary affairs minister, was summoned today again after his answers to queries of the ED related to the recovery of over Rs 35 crore did not satisfy the agency.
Minister denies link to cash haul
The minister, according to sources, continued to harp on his stand that he had no link with the mountain of cash recovered from the premises of his Private Secretary Sanjiv Lal and his assistant Jehangir Alam.
Sanjiv Lal and Jehangir Alam, who happens to be a relative of his daughter-in-law, are already in the ED custody.
Second high-profile leader booked by ED in Jharkhand
He happens to be the second high-profile leader, after ex-Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who has been arrested by the ED in Jharkhand. Soren was arrested in the land scam.
Sanjiv Lal names bureaucrats, politicians on whose behalf he collected commissions
The ED also summoned his Private Secretary Sanjiv Lal’s wife Rita Lal again to question her along with the minister.
During interrogation, Sanjiv Lal named bureaucrats and politicians on whose behalf he collected commissions from contractors and engineers.
A couple of days back, the agency had interrogated Rita Lal to ascertain how she acquired a large number of immovable properties in her name.
Sanjiv Lal collected commission on behalf of ‘influential persons’
Sanjiv Lal, according to the ED, collected commission on behalf of ‘some influential persons’ and played a pivotal role in managing the tenders and collection of commission from engineers.
Notably, Alam, a former Speaker of the Jharkhand Assembly, has been at the helm of the rural development department since 2019.
Case linked to Veerendra Kumar Ram
Notably, the latest case of money laundering is linked to the suspended chief engineer Veerendra Kumar Ram, who was arrested on February 23 last year.
Ram, posted in the Water resource department, was on deputation, as chief engineer to Rural Works Department and Rural Development Department (Special Division), Government of Jharkhand.
‘Ram used to collect commissions’
“Veerendra Kumar Ram used to collect commissions in terms of allocation of tender and execution of work and the said commission / fixed share of 1.5% was distributed among his seniors and politicians,” the ED said.
Know what happened when?
05 May: ED raided the residence of Alamgir Alam’s PS Sanjiv Lal.
05 May: Rs 35.23 crore recovered from the hideout of Sanjiv Lal’s assistants Jahangir Alam and Munna Singh.
May 5: Sanjeev Lal and Jahangir Alam were arrested by ED.
May 6: ED produced Sanjiv Lal and Jahangir Alam in the court and took them on remand.
May 7: The ED team raids Sanjiv Lal’s office in the Jharkhand Secretariat and recovers over Rs two lakh.
May 9: Sanjiv Lal’s wife Rita Lal was questioned by ED.
May 12: ED summons Minister Alamgir Alam on May 14.
May 14: Alamgir was interrogated for nine hours.
May 15: After six hours of interrogation, ED arrested Alamgir Alam.
