The Enforcement Directorate (ED) after interrogating IAS officer Manish Ranjan for more than eight hours on May 28 has summoned him again on June 3 with more documents.

Ranjan is a former secretary of the Rural Development department. He is currently the secretary of the Land, Road and Building department was asked to depose before the federal agency at its zonal office here on May 28. He appeared at the ED office and answered questions relating to the money laundering scam. But the ED, unsatisfied with answers, has asked him to appear again on June 3.

The summons is linked to the ED investigation in which Congress leader and state Rural Development minister Alamgir Alam, his former personal secretary Sanjeev Kumar Lal and the latter's domestic help Jahangir Alam were arrested early this month.
The agency had claimed to have recovered more than Rs 32 crore from a place where Jahangir Alam was residing. The total cash seizure in this case is Rs 37.5 crore. The probe pertains to alleged irregularities and bribes exchanged between officials and others from contractors working in the state rural development department.
Responding to the summon issued by the Enforcement Directorate, Senior IAS officer Manish Ranjan on May 28 appeared before its regional office in Ranchi. 

While sleuths of the central agency were questioning him about his alleged role in “transaction and exchange of bribe sums”, Manish Ranjan “looked the other way and kept mum”, it is learnt. 

“He appeared to be either mum or looked as if he is playing a smart -don’t -know game in response to most of our questions”, said a verbal report on the ED’s grilling of Manish Ranjan on May 28. 

Meanwhile, sources said that the ED, which is investigating the tender commission scam under money laundering, is now collecting evidence against Minister Alamgir Alam, his personal secretary Sanjeev Lal and servant Jahangir Alam. ED also wants to know which properties these accused have made from the proceeds of crime and where they have invested. With these evidences, ED will file a charge sheet against all three before July 15. Not only this, before the charge sheet, ED will seize all the properties made from the proceeds of crime.

The ED had arrested Minister Alamgir Alam on May 15. He was taken on remand on May 17 and was questioned for 14 consecutive days. After this, after appearing in the special PMLA court on May 30, he was sent to Hotwar jail.