Shivani Thakur
Published on: May 10, 2022 at 15:46 IST
The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Jharkhand Mining Secretary Pooja Singhal for connection with a Money Laundering Probe linked to alleged embezzlement of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) funds and other charges.
She has been asked to depose before the Investigation Officer of the Case at the federal agency’s zonal office in Ranchi.
The agency had briefly questioned her during the raids that were conducted against her, her businessman husband Abhishek Jha.
The Enforcement Directorate investigation pertains to a Money Laundering Case in which former junior engineer in the Jharkhand Government, Ram Binod Prasad Sinha was arrested by the agency on June 17, 2020 after studying the First Information Reports of the State Vigilance Bureau against him.
He was booked under Criminal Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to cheating and corruption for allegedly defrauding public money and investing it in his own name as well as in the name of his family members while working as junior engineer.
Sinha told the Enforcement Directorate that “He paid five per cent commission (out of the defrauded funds) to the district administration.”
During the period, the Enforcement Directorate had alleged, charges of ‘irregularities’ were made against Singhal.
The agency arrested chartered accountant Suman Kumar after seizing over ₹ 17 crore cash from his premises. He is in Enforcement Directorate custody till May 11. The Enforcement Directorate is probing his alleged links with the Indian Administrative Service officer and her husband.
The agency had claimed, in a remand note presented to the Court for Kumar, that Singhal and her husband allegedly received “huge” cash deposits – to the tune of ₹ 1.43 crore – over and above her salary in their accounts.
The Federal Agency also told a Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act Court in Ranchi that the Indian Administrative Service Officer allegedly transferred ₹ 16.57 lakh from her ‘personal account’ to those controlled or owned by her.