Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam's personal secretary, Sanjiv Lal, and his domestic help were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday. This action followed the discovery of over Rs 32 crore in cash in their possession. According to official sources, they were taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after undergoing questioning overnight.
The ED on Monday had raided a 2BHK flat in the city that is allegedly occupied by Lal's domestic help Jehangir, as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the state rural development department, they said.
The ED also seized an additional Rs 3 crore from various other locations searched by the central agency, bringing the total cash recovery to Rs 35.23 crore, as per official sources. Jharkhand's Rural Development Minister and Congress leader, Alamgir Alam, has denied any involvement in the alleged wrongdoing.