Ranchi, Oct 14 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted searches in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme's implementation in poll-bound Jharkhand, official sources said.
More than 20 locations in Ranchi are being covered as part of the probe. Some locations in Chaibasa in West Singhbhum district were also raided, the sources said.
Premises linked to IAS officer Manish Ranjan, a personal staffer of drinking water and sanitation minister Mithilesh Kumar Thakur, his brother, some government officials, contractors and businessmen are being searched by the federal probe agency, they said.
Ranjan is the secretary of the Land, Road and Building department and has been questioned by the ED earlier in a separate money laundering case in which it arrested former minister Alamgir Alam.
Reacting to the development, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said "these are not unexpected" and will "continue as assembly elections are approaching”.
He said opposition BJP's active members have been visiting Jharkhand, apparently referring to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Sarma and Chouhan are incharge and co-incharge for the assembly elections in the state, and have been attacking Soren over "corruption", "infiltration" and "declining law and order".
The CM, in response, had remarked that "vultures" were hovering over Jharkhand prior to the polls.
Meanwhile, Thakur charged that the searches were "politically motivated" as he refused to "buckle under pressure" of the saffron brigade to join the BJP.
Alleging that the ED was working on the directions of the central government, he demanded that the agency should come out with the list of recoveries it made from his residence, besides others associated with him.
"People have every right to know how much funds, illegal documents, gold, diamonds and other jewels were recovered from premises linked to me," Thakur said.
The minister asserted that he will prefer to be hanged to death or spend his life in jail, but will not join the BJP.
He also attacked the Centre for "unleashing central agencies" just before the assembly elections to harass leaders.
"If the CM can spend five months behind bars, we are ready to spend a year or two in jail," Thakur said, referring to Soren.
Soren, the executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was arrested by the ED on January 31 in connection with its investigation into a money laundering case linked to illegal possession of 8.36 acres of land.
The High Court of Jharkhand granted bail to him on June 28.
Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly are expected to be declared soon, with the term of the present Vidhan Sabha coming to an end on January 5.
Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta also dubbed the ED searches politically influenced.
A team from the CRPF provided cover to the ED search teams.
The money laundering case is linked to investigation into alleged irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The central government's Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through household tap connections.
A similar money laundering investigation into the Jal Jeevan Mission was initiated by the ED in Rajasthan last year when the Congress was in power in the state.