While it is yet to be ascertained whether the guns are illegal or not, the ED has taken the firearms in their possession.
Ranchi: In a raid linked to Prem Prakash, a close aide of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday unearthed two AK-47 rifles from a house in Ranchi. Sources said the raids were a part of the ongoing investigation into the mining scam which reportedly runs into at least Rs 100 crore.
While it is yet to be ascertained whether the guns are illegal or not, the ED has taken the firearms in their possession. Sources in the ED said raids are on at 20 locations in Jharkhand, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and the Delhi-NCR. While the ED is mainly looking at the money-laundering angle, the case is to unearth an alleged illegal mining and extortion racket.
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Sources told the media that Wednesday’s searches were conducted after an aide of Soren, Pankaj Mishra, and Mishra’s associate Bachhu Yadav gave information to ED. The duo is in custody for some time now.
On July 8, Mishra and Yadav were raided by the ED. The raids spanned across 19 locations in Jharkhand. The ED had seized Rs 13.32 crore from 50 bank accounts in the raids. In March, a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was filed against Mishra and others. It was alleged that Mishra “illegally grabbed or amassed huge assets in his favour”.
In July, the ED had said, “The evidence collected during the course of the investigation, including the statements of various persons, digital evidence, and documents revealed that the seized cash or bank balance is derived from illegal mining being rampantly done in the Sahibganj area, including the forest area.”
