Jharkhand: ED raids CM Soren's aide, top officials residence in 'money laundering case'

Jharkhand: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted raids at over 10 places in Jharkhand's Ranchi and Rajasthan, in connection with an alleged money laundering case linked to illegal mining.

The searches come a day after Chief Minister Hemant Soren slammed the agency for "politically biased" probes against him.

ED raids at Soren’s close aides, top officials residence

Among the premises raided were those of Chief Minister Soren's press advisor Abhishek Prasad, Hazaribagh's Deputy SP Rajendra Dubey, and Sahibganj District Collector Ram Nivas.

#WATCH | Ranchi: ED raids are underway at Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's press advisor's residence Abhishek Prasad alias Pintu in connection with an illegal mining case.

Searches are being carried out at 12 locations including Abhishek Prasad's residence and the residence of… pic.twitter.com/fRuJWQkxw8

— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2024

Meanwhile, Nivas' residence in his native Rajasthan was also searched. Locations of purported middlemen believed to have facilitated illegal deals were also raided.

CM सोरेन के करीबियों पर ED का शिकंजा, रांची में 6 से ज्यादा जगहों पर ED की छापेमारी#BreakingNews #BigBreaking #HemantSoren #ED #JharkhandNews #IndiaDailyLive pic.twitter.com/xxRoeovnyF

— India Daily Live (@IndiaDLive) January 3, 2024

Here’s what Jharkhand CM said on ED probe:

So far, Soren has skipped seven ED summons in the mining case. On Tuesday, he accused the agency of targeting opposition leaders, while stating he would not buckle under "pressure tactics".

The ED case stems from a Central Bureau of Investigation CBI) FIR in 2021 regarding illegal mining and extortion in Jharkhand.

The latest raids are seen as part of intensified federal probe efforts against the chief minister. The searches aim to gather further evidence and build the money laundering case.