ED interrogates Hazaribagh’s Izhar Ansari in Pooja Singhal case

Mail News Service

Ranchi, June 22: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials conducted a detailed interrogation of Hazaribagh’s coal trader, Izhar Ansari, at their office. The questioning lasted for more than four hours, with the inquiry still ongoing.

Sources reveal that the investigation in the Pooja Singhal case led to a raid at the premises of coal trader Izhar Ansari in Hazaribagh. It was discovered that he had obtained coal linkages in the name of 13 companies, with assistance from CA Suman Kumar.

During the course of the investigation, the ED officials found substantial evidence at Izhar Ansari’s residence. They discovered that the industries associated with the coal linkages had been non-operational for several years, as evidenced by their electricity bills.

Furthermore, the raid resulted in the seizure of Rs 3 crore in cash from Izhar Ansari’s house. The investigation also uncovered indications that a former MLA’s funds were being utilized in his business dealings.

In their probe, the ED revealed that 14072.7 metric tonnes of coal were allocated to a small-scale industry associated with nine of Izhar’s companies in the fiscal year 2019-20. However, in 2020-21, only three out of the 13 companies received coal linkages.

On June 16, Izhar Ansari was summoned by the ED for questioning and subsequently called to their office. It is noteworthy that the ED had previously conducted a 22-hour raid at Izhar Ansari’s residence in Millat Colony, Pelawal, Hazaribagh on March 3. The ongoing investigation aims to uncover further details regarding the Pooja Singhal case and the alleged irregularities related to coal linkages.