The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday arrested Suman Kumar, the Chartered Accountant of Jharkhand’s Mining Secretary Pooja Singhal, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the case linked to alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds worth Rs 18 crore in Khunti district.
The ED arrest follows Rs 19.31 crores of cash being recovered from different locations linked to Singhal. The ED also seized incriminating documents from Kumar.
Out of Rs 19.31 crores, Rs 17.51 crores was recovered from the premises of the CA.
Officials alleged that the CA was “evasive in his replies” with regard to the alleged recovery of cash from his premises in Ranchi after the agency conducted raids in this case.
The ED has alleged that Kumar, also a financial advisor, has links with Singhal and her family.
The ED also recorded the preliminary statement of Singhal during the searches.
On Saturday, ED teams conducted searches across 11 locations, including at Pulse Hospital in Ranchi run by Singhal’s husband Abhishek Jha. The agency has also conducted raids at the house of her father-in-law Kameshwar Jha in Muzaffarpur, brother and parents staying here besides at the premises of her other associates, the sources said.
So far searches have also been conducted in Kolkata, Mumbai, Jaipur, Gurugram and Faridabad. Documents recovered during the searches are being scrutinized for further legal action.