Mountain of cash recovered from maid's house linked to Jharkhand minister's secretary

Ahead of the Lok Sabha election in Jharkhand, a team of ED recovered a mountain of unaccounted cash from the premises of a domestic help allegedly linked to the secretary of a Jharkhand minister, official sources told PTI news agency.

The premises are claimed to be of the domestic help of Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam's personal secretary Sanjiv Lal.

Though the counting is still underway, the exact amount is pegged to be in the range of Rs 20 to 30 crore. The cash is largely in the denomination of Rs 500 and some jewellery has also been recovered, PTI reported quoting the sources.

Alam (70), is a Congress leader and represents the Pakur seat in the Jharkhand assembly.

The agency has been conducting multiple raids in the state capital Ranchi, during which the team recovered a huge mountain of cash from the house of Sanjiv Lal, who is the personal secretary to Jharkhand Rural Development minister Alamgir Alam in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in implementation of some schemes.

he searches are linked to a money laundering case against the former chief engineer of the rural development department, Veerendra Kumar Ram, who was arrested by the ED last year.

"Veerendra Kumar Ram, posted as chief engineer in the Rural Works Department in Ranchi, had generated proceeds of crime in the name of commission from contractors in lieu of allotment of tenders to them," the agency had alleged in a statement issued last year in April after it attached assets worth Rs 39 crore of the officer.

"The proceeds of crime thus generated were used by Veerendra Kumar Ram and his family members to live a very lavish lifestyle," it said.

The money laundering case against Ram stems from a complaint of the Jharkhand anti-corruption bureau

The searches are linked to a money laundering case against the former chief engineer of the rural development department, Virendra K Ram, who was arrested by the ED last year.

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