The ED attaches properties worth Rs 82.77 crore linked to an officer in Jharkhand
A money laundering case involving jailed Jharkhand IAS officer Pooja Singhal has led the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to attach multiple properties worth Rs 82.77 crore.
While serving as the Deputy Commissioner for Khunti in 2009-2010, Singhal was accused of diverting MGNREGA funds.
According to an ED spokesperson, there were seizures of one super specialty hospital (Pulse Super Specialty Hospital), one diagnostic center (Pulse Diagnostic and Imaging Centre), and two parcels of land in Ranchi.
In May, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Singhal, an IAS officer from the 2000 batch and the Mining Secretary for Jharkhand, on money laundering charges related to alleged irregularities in the MGNREGA program. Currently, she is in judicial custody.
The agency filed two supplementary prosecution complaints (charge sheets) against her in July.
Police and the Vigilance Bureau of Jharkhand filed an FIR against Singhal and others in connection with allegations of money laundering.
During the investigation, it was discovered that the proceeds generated from the MNREGA scam in commissions were deposited into several bank accounts owned by Singhal and her family members. In addition to these proceeds, Singhal generated other unaccounted funds, according to the spokesperson.
Pooja Singhal amassed significant wealth disproportionate to her known source of income. The funds used to acquire these immovable properties came primarily from unaccounted cash profits generated from the proceeds of crime.
Singhal served as deputy commissioner, of Khunti, between 2009 and 2010. Several irregularities have been alleged against her during the period 2007-2013, according to ED sources. The bank accounts of Pooja Singhal and Abhishek Jha contain large deposits totalling Rs 1.43 crore during this period. As the ED had previously informed the court, the cash deposits made in different financial years were more than the salary.
