Virendra Ram case: ED recovers cash pile from Jharkhand minister aide's home, counting on

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting raids at multiple locations in Ranchi in connection with the in Virendra Ram case. 

A huge amount of cash, estimated to be Rs 20 to 30 crore, was recovered from the house help of Sanjiv Lal, Personal Secretary to Jharkhand Rural Development minister Alamgir Alam.

The cash haul is expected to be more as cash machines are being deployed to continue counting.

ED arrested Virendra K Ram, the chief engineer at the Jharkhand Rural Development Department, in February 2023 in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in implementation of some schemes.

"I have no official information regarding this so far." "I have been watching TV and it says the premise is linked to the official PS (private secretary) provided to me by the government," Alam told PTI.

Meanwhile, the BJP has demanded that Alamgir Alam be taken to custody immediately and "strictly questioned" over the cash haul. Speaking to ANI, Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo said that the latest cash recovery has proven once again that Congress is embroiled in the black money business.

"The endless story of corruption of the Jharkhand government shows no signs of ending. Just a few days ago, Rs 300 crore cash was recovered from the house and office of a Congress MP. More than Rs 10 crore was recovered from the residence of the associates of Pankaj Mishra, a close associate of the (former) Chief Minister (Hemant Soren). Now, from the house of the personal secretary of Minister, Alamgir Alam, more than Rs 25 crore has been recovered. Alamgir Alam should be taken into custody immediately, he should be strictly questioned and the connection to this money should be ascertained by the ED," he said.

Pratul Shah Deo further said that the Election Commission of India (ECI) should take into cognisance the recovery of such a massive amount of cash during the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

In December last year, Income Tax raided the premises linked to Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dheeraj Sahu in Odisha and Jharkhand. Over Rs 300 crore unaccounted cash was seized during the raids, making it the "highest-ever" black money haul by any agency in a single operation, PTI reported.

Ram has been accused of accumulating assets of Rs 100 crore. He was apprehended last year, during which authorities purportedly found a pen drive containing transaction records allegedly involving some politicians from Jharkhand. He was arrested by after ED launched multiple searches on February 21, 2023, in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and a few other places in Jharkhand, Bihar and Delhi. Later, the ED took over the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.