Hemant Soren, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand arrived in Ranchi on Tuesday. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed that Soren had been “untraceable” for more than 30 hours. According to sources, Soren, who met with JMM MLAs at his official residence, is about to be taken into custody by the probe agency regarding a claim of land fraud.
According to reports, the ED has gathered strong evidence against Soren in its investigation into at least three money laundering cases, linking him to coal mining, illegal mining, and land cases in the state. Leading ED sources told India Today TV that there is sufficient evidence to arrest Soren based on the information gathered during the investigation.
In addition to the land case, the ED asserts that it has discovered connections between Soren and illicit mining operations in Jharkhand. Reportedly, statements made in compliance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) implicate those who have named Soren and those close to him, including state officials at a high level.
According to sources, the ED possesses documentary proof that connects Soren to properties purchased with proceeds from criminal activity. On Monday, an ED team traveled to Soren’s official residence in Delhi to question him regarding a money laundering case that is connected to the land case. However, ED sources claim that Soren had left for an undisclosed location late at night and was not at his home.
The ED team searched for Soren at 7 am, trying to find him somewhere right now. The investigation team declared him “missing” after they were unable to locate him. The ED claims that new information regarding the land case led to the searches at his Delhi home. On January 27, Soren received his tenth summons, having already ignored nine of them. He has consented to come before the ED on January 31 to be questioned at his official Ranchi residence. The first time Soren’s statement was recorded in the case was on January 20, following an investigation by the ED team to his official Ranchi residence.
The first time Soren’s statement was recorded in the case was on January 20, following an investigation by the ED team to his official Ranchi residence. The investigators spent almost seven hours at his home recording the statement under the PMLA.
Soren considered his legal options, according to sources close to the Jharkhand Chief Minister’s Office, even though he had given his consent to be questioned on January 31. Soren is said to have met with an advocate in Delhi on Sunday, and it is expected that he will file a court case to request protection from coercive measures. Following the proper protocol, the ED took statements while conducting searches at Soren’s Delhi home. Nevertheless, the Chief Minister’s statement could not be recorded because he was not present. An important development in the ongoing investigation occurred late on Monday when the ED searched Soren’s official residence in Delhi and found two BMWs, incriminating documents, and Rs 36 lakh in cash.
