Following raids in Jharkhand, Bihar, and West Bengal in connection with a money laundering investigation involving an alleged land grab case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has detained seven persons, including a government officer, according to official sources on Friday.
Afshar Ali, Imtiaz Ahmed, Pradeep Bagchi, Md. Saddam Hussain, Talha Khan, Bhanu Pratap Prasad, and Faiyaz Khan are the names of those who have been detained. Prasad has been recognised as a officer of the state government.
According to them, the seven were detained in accordance with the penal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The raids were conducted on Thursday at 22 locations across the three states, including the offices of Chhavi Ranjan, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 2011 batch who formerly held the position of deputy commissioner in Ranchi, the state capital.
The agency is investigating a number of alleged land grab instances, including those involving defence land, and the action was taken in accordance with the rules of the anti-money laundering statute.
In a statement he released on Thursday, BJP leader Babulal Marandi asked Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren what steps he would take in response to the ED’s most recent move.