The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, asking him to appear before it on January 27 and 31 for further questioning in connection with the agency’s money laundering probe into an alleged land scam, people familiar with the matter said.
Soren was questioned on Saturday for nearly seven hours after he skipped seven summons. The ED has said the agency needs clarifications on issues related to its probe into the alleged scam linked to the ownership of 7.16-acre land in Ranchi.
The land was allegedly acquired through proceeds of crime involving the illegal sale of army land. Soren has maintained the case is unclear and the details of his assets have been made public.
The agency has arrested 14 people in the case, including bureaucrat Chhavi Ranjan, and businessmen Amit Agrawal and Bishnu Agrawal, who own shopping malls in Ranchi.
On Saturday, Soren told his supporters that they were marching ahead uniting the Opposition nationally. “You need not be afraid. Keep your morale high. I assure you that your leader would take the first bullet fired at us.”