6 Counting Machines, 12 Hours: ED Seizes Rs 35 Crore Cash With Confidential Letter From Jharkhand Minister's Staff

Video footage of the search showed wads of currency notes spread in a room that is alleged to be of the domestic help of Sanjiv Lal, Personal Secretary to Alamgir Alam. (Image/News18)

It took almost 12 hours and six counting machines as the Enforcement Directorate recovered a stash of cash worth Rs 35.23 crore from the residence of a domestic help, allegedly associated with a senior minister of Jharkhand, Alamgir Alam on Monday. However, the most interesting part was not the recovery of cash, but the presence of an official communication between the ED and the state government, with the stash of the cash.

The official letter was ‘sensitive’ in nature and supposed to be ‘confidential’, said a senior officer of the directorate, hinting at a serious leak of sensitive documents at the state government’s level in favour of the accused person.

Exactly a year ago, on May 5, 2023, the directorate wrote to the chief secretary of the government of Jharkhand sharing information under the provision of Section 66(2) of PML Act, 2002 regarding Veerendra Kumar Ram, the erstwhile Chief Engineer, Rural Development Special Zone and in an additional charge of Rural Works Department. In the letter, the ED informed the state government about the ‘malpractices’ in the department and requested the state to take appropriate action under the IPC and prevention of corruption act.

However, the team of investigators that raided the premises of an associate of the arrested chief engineer, stumbled upon the confidential communication. A copy of the letter was found in the same premise owned by one of the accused persons. According to the sources in the directorate, the presence of the letter at the residence of an accused person shows that the letter was leaked by the state government to help the accused.

Letter ‘Deliberately’ Leaked to the Accused

In the letter, the ED stated, “This office is conducting an investigation against Veerendra Kumar Ram and others under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The subject investigation was initiated on the basis of a case FIR No. 13/19, dated November 13, 2019 registered under section 7(a) of Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 2018 by Anti-Corruption Bureau, Jamshedpur and the Final Report No. 01/2020 dated January 11, 2020 submitted by ACB, Jamshedpur.”

The ED further stated that during the course of PMLA investigation, searches were conducted at 30 locations in February 2023 and the central agency recovered vehicles, cash, jewellery and other incriminating documents, believed to be acquired or obtained by Veerendra Kumar Ram out of proceeds of crime, generated out of act of corruption and other criminal activities.

“The said properties were seized/ frozen under provisions of PMLA, 2002. During the course of search at the residential premises of Veerendra Kumar Ram, cash amounting to Rs 7,82,500 (Rupees Seven Lakh Eighty Two Thousand and five hundred only) was recovered and seized, and when Veerendra Kumar Ram was questioned about source of the said cash, he stated that the said cash was the commission received by him in lieu of allotment of tenders. Apart from the above, seven high value luxurious vehicles have also been found and seized from the residential premises of Veerendra Kumar Ram,” the ED added in the letter.

Explaining the case and the further scope of investigation, the directorate requested the state government to initiate inquiry against the allegedly ‘tainted’ officers. A senior officer of the directorate said that the letter was ‘deliberately’ leaked to the accused persons to help them escape the legal proceedings and tampering important evidences. “Appropriate action will be taken in this regard as well,” said the officer.

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