Funds embezzled: Enforcement Directorate conducts raids in Jharkhand, Rs 19 crore seized

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 6

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at multiple locations in Jharkhand MGNREGA funds fraud case, including premises of mining secretary Pooja Singhal and her family, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The officials said the action had been taken as part of its probe into a case linked to alleged embezzlement of over Rs 18 crore MGNREGA funds in Khunti district of Jharkhand during 2008-11.

About Rs 17.51 crore cash had been recovered from the premises of a Ranchi-based chartered accountant, officials said. About Rs 1.8 crore cash has been recovered from other premises in Ranchi.

The searches were conducted on about 18 premises in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab and a few other states, the officials said, adding that the premises of Singhal, an IAS officer of 2000 batch in Ranchi, are also being covered as part of the action. She had served as the DC of Khunti district earlier.

The raids pertain to a money laundering case in which former junior engineer in the Jharkhand government Ram Binod Prasad Sinha was arrested on June 17, 2020, from West Bengal by the ED.

The ED took cognisance of 16 FIRs and chargesheets filed by the Jharkhand Vigilance Bureau against Sinha that alleged the accused abused his official position and indulged in embezzlement of Rs 18.06 crore of government funds by way of forgery and misappropriation.

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