Big Haul in Ranchi Raids Linked to Minister: 12 Hours, 6 Machines, 30 Crore

Cash worth Rs 30 crore has been counted over the past 12 hours, with several officials working to reach a final number. According to sources, multiple cash counting machines have broken down and new ones have been brought in for the task. The room where the cash was found belongs to Jahangir, who is the house help of Sanjiv Lal, a personal secretary to Jharkhand Rural Development minister and Congress leader Alamgir Alam. The Enforcement Directorate discovered the cash during raids at several premises linked to Virendra Ram, the former chief engineer at the Jharkhand Rural Development Department.

Ram was arrested last year in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in government schemes. The recovery comes just ahead of the Lok Sabha election in Jharkhand and has sparked a political controversy. The BJP has highlighted the Congress minister’s connection and accused the opposition party of corruption. Jharkhand BJP chief Babulal Marandi pointed out the significance of finding such a large sum of cash at the house of a minister’s secretary’s help, questioning what might be found at the homes of the ministers themselves.

He also called for the removal of Alamgir Alam as minister. Alamgir Alam has responded by urging that no conclusions should be drawn before the completion of the ED’s investigation. He also emphasized that Sanjiv Lal had previously served as a secretary to two former ministers based on experience.