The PMLA court presented Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam after he was remanded six days for an alleged money laundering case, in Ranchi on March 22, 2024.
Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam arrested in the money laundering case has been remanded in custody for five more days. On Wednesday, he appeared before Ranchi special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court after his remand expired.
Mr. Alam has been questioned at ED’s zonal office in Ranchi for the last five days and is being now interrogated as far as this particular investigation goes.
Earlier, Mr. Lal who worked with Mr. Alam as his Officer on Special Duty (OSD) and his domestic help were nabbed by ED following the recovery of over ₹36 crore from a flat linked to them.
In a petition filed before the PMLA Court, ED disclosed that every tender under Mr. Alam’s Department earned him a commission of 1.5%. The ED has claimed that Virendra Ram, Chief Engineer of the Rural Development Department who was apprehended on March 23, 2023 used to collect commission on tenders and pass it onto the Minister. Many assistant engineers from department were involved in collection and delivery of commission to Mr. Ram
It said further that some amount recovered from OSD premises and that of domestic help belongs to him [Alam] while a number of documents government papers letters etc., were found from the latter’s house.
The remand petition stated that payment of commissions took place systematically involving several employees ranging from lower level up to top officials; this could have resulted into a large cash transaction which is still being unearthed.
He is not only Congress leader against whom action has been taken by central agencies including federal ones in Jharkhand. In the past also raids have been conducted by Income Tax Department at the premises connected with Odisha-based distillery group owned by then Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu, which resulted in a cash recovery of ₹350 crore.
Similarly, in March 2024, ED carried out searches at 17 locations linked to Jharkhand lawmaker Amba Prasad. After being arrested, leaders from Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded his expulsion from the Cabinet but he has not yet resigned.
