ED suspect stopped at Delhi airport

A suspect in a money laundering probe linked to alleged embezzlement of MNREGA funds in Jharkhand, who had failed to appear before the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) despite summons, was stopped at Delhi airport on Thursday as he was about to fly to Thailand along with his wife, and asked to appear before the federal probe agency on November 28, people aware of the development said on Friday.

A senior ED official, who did not wish to be named, said the suspect, Vishal Chaudhary, an alleged middleman with links to top bureaucrats in Jharkhand, has been asked to appear before the agency at its Ranchi office.

A lookout notice had earlier been issued against Chaudhary, the official said.

On May 24 this year, ED sleuths had searched Chaudhary’s residence in Ashok Nagar area of Ranchi, where he lived as a tenant, around a fortnight after senior IAS officer

Pooja Singhal was arrested by the agency in connection with the alleged scam relating to central rural job guarantee scheme MNREGA .

A week prior to arrest of Singhal, the then mining secretary, ED had searched multiple locations in Jharkhand, including the official residence of the IAS officer and premises related to her associates, besides her chartered accountant Suman Kumar.

According to ED, around Rs 17.49 crore in cash was recovered from the residence and office of CA Suman Kumar, who was subsequently arrested on May 7. Both Singhal and Suman are in jail since their arrest.

The alleged scam, as per ED, pertains to embezzlement of money earmarked for the execution of government projects under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) in Khunti district, where Pooja Singhal served as deputy commissioner between 2009 and 2010.

ED has alleged that charges of “irregularities” were made against Singhal while she served as the deputy commissioner of Chatra, Khunti and Palamu between 2007 and 2013.