ED takes Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren under custody after questioning

Ranchi, January 31: Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren was questioned by the ED Wednesday for his alleged involvement in a case of money laundering. This is one of two cases against Soren being investigated by the central agency.

 Later in the night, ED took the chief minister under custody.

Earlier, in the day, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has lodged an FIR against senior ED personnel at the SC/ST police station Ranchi, an official said on Wednesday.

The police complaint was registered in connection with the central probe agency’s recent search operation at Soren’s Delhi residence, sources said.

An FIR has been lodged against some senior ED officials… we got the application from the chief minister,” Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police, Chandan Kumar Sinha,

 An ED team searched Soren’s Delhi residence on Monday, and camped there for almost 13 hours in order to question him in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land deal in Jharkhand.

The agency claimed to have seized Rs 36 lakh, an SUV and some “incriminating” documents during the search.

The chief minister, who was questioned by the ED in Ranchi Wednesday, said the Delhi raid was a means to harass and malign him and his entire community.

The ED has said the case is about a “huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia”.

The agency has made several arrests in connection with the case, among whom is Chhavi Ranjan, a 2011-batch IAS officer. Ranjan was previously director of the state’s social welfare department and was also deputy commissioner of Ranchi.