The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted searches at about 18 locations in Jharkhand as part of a money laundering investigation against Pankaj Mishra, the political representative of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and those linked to him.
The searches are being conducted in Sahibganj district and its towns like Berhait and Rajmahal and the probe relates to alleged irregularities in the award of toll plaza tenders in the State, officials said.
About 18 locations are being searched and the action is being undertaken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The money laundering case is linked to a State police FIR and the ED is also looking at purported links between alleged illegal coal mining operatives and those involved in operations of toll plaza tenders in Jharkhand, they said.
In May, the ED searched the premises of IAS officer Pooja Singhal, her businessman husband and others as part of a money laundering investigation against them.
The 2000-batch officer, who was holding the charge of Jharkhand mining secretary, was later suspended by State government following her arrest by the ED. A charge sheet was filed against her and others by the agency before a special PMLA court in Ranchi earlier this week.