The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has unearthed a trail of Rs 100 crore that was generated through illegal mining in Jharkhand, the probe agency said today. Chief Minister Hemant Soren and some of his close aides are under the scanner of probe agencies in the alleged mining scam.
“The evidence collected during the course of the investigation, including statements of various persons, digital evidence and documents revealed that the seized cash along with the bank balance was derived from illegal mining being rampantly done in the Sahibganj area, including the forest area. A trail of further Rs 100 crore of proceeds of crime generated from illegal mining has also been unearthed and being worked upon,” the financial probe agency said in a statement.
The agency seized Rs 11.88 crore from 37 bank accounts of Hemant Soren’s close aides, including his MLA representative Pankaj Mishra, under the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMLA).
The Enforcement Directorate seized stone crushers that were being illegally operated from the mining site.
A top officer of the state government is also being probed by the financial probe agency, sources told.
Earlier, the ED searched 19 places in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj, Barhet, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki and Barharwa, and seized incriminating documents with Rs 5.34 crore in unaccounted for cash on July 8.
