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ED attaches over ₹39 crore assets of ex-J’khand chief engineer in money laundering case
According to an ED statement, the properties which have been attached, include a farmhouse, flats, a duplex bungalow, land in Delhi, Jamshedpur and Ranchi, and three bank accounts having a collective balance of around ₹36 lakh.
RANCHI: The directorate of enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs. 39.28 crore belonging to of a former Jharkhand rural development department chief engineer who was arrested by the federal agency on money laundering charges in February this year, ED officials said on Wednesday.
The former chief engineer Veerendra Kumar Ram is currently in judicial custody.
According to an ED statement, the properties which have been attached, include a farmhouse, flats, a duplex bungalow, land in Delhi, Jamshedpur and Ranchi, and three bank accounts having a collective balance of around ₹36 lakh.
“ED had initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) Jamshedpur. Investigation revealed that Ram posted as chief engineer in the rural works department in Ranchi had generated proceeds of crime in the name of commission from contractors in lieu of allotment of tenders to them. The proceeds of crime thus generated were used by Ram and his family members to live a very lavish lifestyle,” the agency said.
A search was conducted at 30 premises related to Ram in different cities and as a result, various incriminating evidences were seized, officials said.
“Further, during the raid, cash worth ₹40 lakh (approx), seven high ends luxurious vehicles, and jewellery worth ₹1.51 crore were recovered and seized which were later found to be part of proceeds of crime acquired by him. Subsequently, Ram was arrested by ED on February 23, 2023, after being found guilty of money laundering,” the agency said.
Alok Ranjan, cousin of Ram was also arrested on April 11, 2023, as he was found to be assisting him in laundering the proceeds of crime in the present case. Both Ram and Ranjan are in judicial custody and further investigation is in progress.
Meanwhile, the agency on Wednesday sought four-week time from the Jharkhand high court to furnish a status report of its investigation in the case. The development was part of a public interest litigation filed by one Pankaj Yadav seeking a CBI investigation in the cash haul case.
