ED summons Jharkhand CM in illegal mining case
New Delhi, India - The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, asking him to appear for questioning on November 3 in its ongoing probe into illegal mining case, sources said on Wednesday.
Soren has been asked by the agency to appear before its Jharkhand’s Ranchi based regional office by 11.30am. The ED’S move came almost a month after it seized a passbook and a chequebook, including two signed cheques, of Soren from the home of his alleged close associate Pankaj Mishra, who enjoyed political clout being the representative of Soren and exercised considerable control over illegal mining businesses as well as inland ferry services in Sahebganj and its adjoining areas through his accomplices. Mishra is in judicial custody now for exercising control over the mining of stone chips and boulders as well as installation and operations of several crushers set up across various mining sites in Jharkhand’s Sahebganj district.
The ED made the revelations after it filed a prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA),
2002 before the special court at
Jharkhand’s capital Ranchi against Pankaj Mishra, Bachhu Yadav, and Prem Prakash.
During the investigation, 47 searches were conducted, resulting into the seizure of cash amounting to Rs 5.34 crore, freezing of bank balances amounting to Rs 13.32 crore, freezing of an inland vessel MV Infralink -III, reg. No- WB 1809, five stone crushers, two Hyva trucks besides the seizure of incriminating documents along with two AK 47 assault rifles.
ED had arrested Mishra on July 19, Yadav on August 4 and Prakash on August 25.