The Enforcement Directorate revealed on Monday that a significant amount of “unaccounted” cash was discovered during raids at the residence of a domestic worker allegedly associated with the secretary of a Jharkhand minister, according to official sources.
Videos and images circulated by the sources depicted officials from the central probe agency retrieving bundles of currency notes from large bags within a room, with central force security personnel present.
The residence in question purportedly belongs to the domestic helper of Sanjiv Lal, personal secretary to Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam.
ED insiders indicated that the cash was being tallied to determine its precise amount, estimated to fall within the range of Rs 20-30 crore.
The cash primarily comprises Rs 500 notes, with some jewelry also seized, as per the sources. Alam (70), a Congress leader representing the Pakur seat in the Jharkhand assembly, is connected to the ongoing investigation.
The raids are linked to a money laundering case involving the former chief engineer of the rural development department, Veerendra Kumar Ram, who was apprehended by the ED last year.
The agency previously alleged that Ram, while serving as chief engineer in the Rural Works Department in Ranchi, accumulated illicit proceeds through commissions from contractors awarded tenders.
These illicit gains were purportedly utilized by Ram and his relatives to sustain an opulent lifestyle. The genesis of the money laundering case against Ram traces back to a complaint filed by the Jharkhand anti-corruption bureau (ACB).
