Hemant Soren, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges of money laundering shortly after his resignation. The arrest followed seven hours of questioning related to a land fraud case, with Soren expected to be presented before a court today. The ED is anticipated to request custody of Soren and present the evidence gathered against the de facto JMM chief. Meanwhile in his absence, his wife and Transport Minister, Champai Soren, is set to become the new Chief Minister of the state, having staked a claim with the support of 47 legislators.
During the second round of questioning, the ED posed 15 questions to Soren, who had initially been questioned on January 20. On Tuesday, amid allegations from the BJP that Soren was avoiding the ED probe, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief chaired a meeting with MLAs of his ruling coalition. On Monday, ED officials visited Soren's residence in Delhi, seizing Rs 36 lakh cash, two luxury cars (reportedly BMWs), and incriminating documents during the 13-hour search operation at the 5/1 Shanti Niketan residence of the JMM leader in south Delhi.