The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday raided the premises of an individual linked to Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam. The raids were held in connection with the Virendra Ram case.
More than Rs 20 crores has been counted so far, reported ANI. Footage from the raids showed wads of currency notes piled up in a room being used by the household help of Sanjiv Lal, the private secretary to Alamgir Alam.
Virendra Ram, a chief engineer at the Jharkhand Rural Development Department, was arrested last year by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the implementation of some schemes. The ED had also seized Ram's assets worth Rs 39.29 crore.
According to the documents filed by the ED informed the PMLA (Prevention of Money-Laundering Act) court, Virendra Ram had approached a Delhi-based chartered accountant last year to launder his wealth. The money, amounting to several crores, was the kickbacks he received in return for contracts awarded to companies.
The ED sources also said they got information ranging from the creation of shell companies through fake PAN cards to the exchange of crores of rupees in cash for the purchase of movable and immovable properties.
Ram also confessed to the ED that he took 0.3-1 per cent of the tender amount as commission from companies selected to execute works in his department.