SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, January 31: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren in the Ranchi land scam after questioning him for the second round for over seven hours today.
Soren will be the first sitting chief minister arrested in a money laundering case.
Security has been beefed up near the CM residence and the Raj Bhawan ahead of the ED action.
The ED acted after Soren did not answer the agency’s queries satisfactorily.
The ED wanted to record the CM’s response to the documents seized from Ranchi district Revenue Sub-Inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad and his properties. The agency has lodged a case in this regard for tampering and falsification of government records.
Notably, the ED had questioned him for around seven hours on January 20 in the land scam case bearing ECIR no. RNZO/25/2023.
While questioned, Soren said that he had not grabbed any land or that the 8.46 acres of land located at Bariatu in Ranchi were under his possession; ED sources said the agency had concrete proof against him. The agency wants to take the investigation to its logical conclusion.
First summons on August 14 2023
The ED had served him the first summons on August 14 last year. Soren was persuaded to be questioned on January 20 after ignoring seven summons. However, in its eight summons, the ED warned him of severe consequences if he disobeyed them.
