ED conducted Raids at 12 places across the State; Seized Rs.60 lakh in Cash:

ED conducted Raids at 12 places across the State; Seized Rs.60 lakh in Cash The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted various searches across the state on Tuesday, including the homes of Poreyahat MLA Pradeep Yadav and his close allies, as well as many firms in Ranchi, Godda, and Dumka districts. Notably, Yadav joined Congress after being elected from the defunct JVM-P. According to sources, the central agency confiscated around Rs 60 lakhs in cash from the residence of one Ajay Kumar Jha in Dumka near the Hatiya Chowk. Several damning documents were discovered in other locations. The activities were taken out in response to an income tax department search on Yadav's premises in November 2022. In this regard, the I-T department informed the ED of its findings. The searches in Ranchi were carried out at Yadav's house near the AG More in Doranda. The properties of Shiv Kumar near the shooting range in Bariatu, Heritage Apartment in Bariatu, and M/s Vaishnavi Construction and Suppliers Private Limited near the Dhurwa bus terminal were also raided. According to sources, the activities were also carried out on the premises of Sri Sai Manufacturing and Engineering Limited, as well as on the premises of Binod Kumar Lal in Kutubabandh, in addition to the location of one Ajay Kumar Jha. The I-T department also raided Lal's residence. The searches in Godda were carried out at MLA's properties in the Mufassil police station area. Shyama Kant Yadav of Maa Panchbadan Singhwahini's Poreyahat house, Devendra Kumar near Mufassil police station, and Manoj Kumar Akela's residence were also searched. Raids were also carried out at the Sky Blue Hotel, which is owned by Shyamsundar Yadav. Shyamsundar and Akela are both known to be close friends of the Poreyahat (Godda) MLA. The raids on Tuesday also targeted the homes of two major drinking water and sanitation department contractors, Ajay Kumar Jha alias Mikki Jha and Vinod Kumar Lal, who live in the Dumka neighbourhoods of Rasikupr and Khutabandh. Jha is thought to be close to Hemant Soren, the chief minister. He is also the spouse of Shweta Jha, the outgoing chairwoman of the Dumka municipal corporation. Vinod is the municipal corporation's outgoing vice-chairperson. The I-T department also raided Vinod Kumar Lal's home in November of last year. The raid on Jha's premises by a government agency was the first of its kind. In the past, the ED raided the Sahibganj district in connection with illicit mining and money laundering.