ED recovers huge amount of cash from house help linked to Jharkhand minister's secretary

Videos and photos shared by the sources showed officials of the central probe agency taking out wads of currency notes from large bags in a room located in a building at Gadikhana Chowk.

Some central force security personnel were also seen.

A domestic help of Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alam's personal secretary Sanjiv Lal is alleged to be residing at this location.

When contacted by PTI, Alam said, “I have no official information regarding this so far.”

“I have been watching TV and it says the premises are linked to the official PS (private secretary) provided to me by the government,” he added.

ED sources said the note-counting machines have been deployed to count the cash to ascertain the exact amount which could range between Rs 20-30 crore.

The cash is largely in the denomination of Rs 500 and some jewellery has also been recovered, the sources said.

Alam (70), is a Congress leader and represents the Pakur seat in the Jharkhand assembly.

The searches are linked to a money laundering case against the former chief engineer of the rural development department, Veerendra Kumar Ram, who was arrested by the ED last year.

“Veerendra Kumar Ram, posted as chief engineer in the Rural Works Department in Ranchi, had generated proceeds of crime in the name of commission from contractors in lieu of allotment of tenders to them,” the agency had alleged in a statement issued last year in April after it attached assets worth Rs 39 crore of the officer.

“The proceeds of crime thus generated were used by Veerendra Kumar Ram and his family members to live a very lavish lifestyle,” it said.

The money laundering case against Ram stems from a complaint of the Jharkhand anti-corruption bureau (ACB).