Jharkhand Cash Seizure Opens Can Of Worms, CBI Likely To Investigate All Documents After ED's Arrest

Where could developments that take place took place yesterday in Jharkhand? Could those warrant for the trouble for a Jharkhand minister? We’ve been discussing since yesterday after the Ed said it had found crores of rupees confidential letters in the possession of Alamgir Alams personal aid. The CBI could be asked to probe the matter. The CBI is likely to probe how these documents reach the suspects. Well, bring you more details on each of these developments in just a second. Remember yesterday we brought for you the initial developments in this story as we first learnt that these large amounts of money were being seen. Now reports indicating that the Secretary was collecting funds for influential people. Let us go over to our colleague Arunima to get a breakdown on this entire story. Aruna, if you could first tell us the exact angle because of which the CBI would be entering into this investigation. So there’s a high likelihood. Why? Because the Enforcement Directorate is looking at the money laundering charge of this offense, but they suspect that there is a web of bribe and corruption racket that existed in the Rural Development department. The initial complaint was about a ₹10,000 bribe that was paid to to a bureaucrat in the department. The Anti Corruption Branch of Jharkhand, Jamshedpur ACP was probing this matter. But the current raids have revealed that how that entire probe by the ACP was compromised. Enforcement Directorate had written to the Chief Secretary Jharkhand saying that we have found these fresh evidence and that letter was found in the possession of Sanjeev Lal, one of the PSS of Alamgir Alam who was rated and subsequently arrested in the remand application. Also, ET has mentioned that there seems to be a complete web of corruption where tenders were allocated to contractors in lieu of money and favor transfer and posting of officers was happening in that department again in lieu of favor either monetary transaction. 1.5% was the minimum cut for crores of rupee, you know tenders that were being allocated. The allegation is that this cut was then widely disbursed from the minister to the bureaucrats to the officers. All of them are in the Rural Development department. So the concerned agency to probe all of this under Prevention of Corruption Act is CBI. And already we are seeing from Babulal Morandi to Nishikam Dubey the opposition there in Jharkhand raising demands for a CBI probe in the matter. So the personal secretary in question is Sanjeev Kumar Lal. Can you tell us, Arunima, we know that the JMM in the state, especially after the Chief Minister Himanshar and saw action in a different case a few months ago, they’ve argued that they’re being targeted by central agencies. Alamgir Alam also distancing himself from this individual, from the activities of this personal secretary. Can you just tell our audiences a little bit more about what the JMM is seeing about all of these developments? When Alamgir Alam says he wasn’t too close closely associated to Lal, how should our audiences receive that? So Alamgir Alam came on record to say that Sanjeev Lal was a professional, that he was a person secretary earlier also to other ministers. So when Alamgir needed a person secretary to assist him, Sanjeevs name came up with a as a recommendation and that’s why he was hired. RMG tried to portray a picture that he has nothing to do with all this money that was seized. But the Enforcement Directorate officials believe otherwise. They are wanting to question the minister because in law of the evidence that they have picked up during the course of searches seems to indicate that there are some answers that only the minister can provide to them. Now whether Alangir Alam will be sent to someone anytime soon or whether there will be searches for the searches. In this case that’s I think the investigation team is deciding 6 day remand of Sanjeev Lal and Jhangir Alam is what they have. They are going to question the duo and they also have for the chief engineer already in custody Ryendra Ram. So together, all of them are going to be questioned before he decides on the next course of action in the any laundering aspect of the case. OK, alright. Thank you, Arima, for bringing us that context. We’re gonna head into a quick break on the other side. More of the country’s top stories. This is the breaking news show on CNN News 8.