In the money laundering investigation against the former chief minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, four more people have been detained

According to official sources on Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made four further arrests in relation to the money laundering case against former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and others, which is allegedly tied to an unlawful land grab.

Antu Tirkey, Priya Ranjan Sahay, Bipin Singh, and Irshad have been identified as those detained in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they added.

On Tuesday, the ED searched Tirkey’s and a few other people’s properties here.

Eight persons have been detained in connection with this investigation as a result of these arrests.

Not long after he quit as chief minister in January, Soren, 48, was taken into custody by the ED.

He is now being held in judicial custody at the Birsa Munda prison in Hotwar.

Bhanu Pratap Prasad, the prime accused and a former sub-inspector of the tax department, Mohammed Saddam Hussian, and Afshar Ali have also been taken into custody.

Hemant Soren, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand
In the money laundering case against Hemant Soren, the ED utilizes invoices for a refrigerator and a smart TV as evidence.
The investigation against Soren concerns an 8.86-acre Ranchi property that the ED claims he unlawfully purchased.

Before a special PMLA court here on March 30, the agency had submitted a charge sheet against Soren, Prasad, and Soren’s purported “frontmen,” Raj Kumar Pahan and Hilariyas Kachhap, as well as an accused associate of the previous chief minister Binod Singh.

Additionally, the ED has annexed the Ranchi property and asked the court to seize the parcel.

The Jharkhand Police filed many First Information Reports (FIRs) in land “scam” cases against various individuals, including state government officials, which led to the money laundering inquiry.

As the keeper of official documents, Prasad is the main culprit in this case.

According to the ED’s statement, he is accused of having “misused” his official position by helping a number of individuals, including Soren, with their unlawful occupation, purchase, and ownership of landed properties as proceeds of crime.

“A racket of land mafia is active in Jharkhand which used to forge the land records in Ranchi,” it said.