ED arrests Jharkhand engineer in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) late Wednesday night arrested Jharkhand engineer V K Ram in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the state rural development department and some of the schemes implemented by it, officials said.

Ram was taken into custody under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after a prolonged session of questioning at the agency’s office in Jharkhand capital Ranchi.

He was picked by the agency after it launched multiple searches on February 21 in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and a few other places in Jharkhand, Bihar and Delhi.

Official sources said he was ”evasive” in his replies and the ED will seek for his custodial interrogation after they produce him before a local court on Thursday. The agency has seized some luxury cars and SUVs too from various premises, officials said.

The money laundering case stems from a state vigilance bureau complaint into some alleged commission being paid in lieu of grant of government work, and the sources said the searches are aimed at gathering more evidence with regard to these charges.