The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently conducted searches at a location tied to the personal secretary of Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam, where they discovered a substantial amount of unaccounted cash. The investigative agency was seen removing bundles of currency notes from large bags in a room at Gadikhana Chowk, as depicted in videos and photos shared by official sources. The premises where the cash was found is said to be where a domestic help linked to the minister's personal secretary, Sanjiv Lal, resides.
Officials from the central probe agency were captured on video carrying out the operation, with the assistance of central force security personnel at the scene. The recovered cash, predominantly in Rs 500 denominations, is currently being counted using note-counting machines to determine the exact amount, which is estimated to be in the range of Rs 20-30 crore. Along with the cash, some jewelry was also seized during the search.
Alam, a 70-year-old Congress leader representing the Pakur seat in the Jharkhand assembly, stated that he had no official information about the situation and clarified that the premises under scrutiny were linked to the personal secretary provided to him by the government. The searches are reportedly connected to a money laundering case involving Veerendra Kumar Ram, a former chief engineer of the rural development department, who was apprehended by the ED last year for allegedly amassing illicit proceeds through corrupt practices.