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Pankaj Mishra after his questioning by ED in Ranchi. (PTI)The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday arrested Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s close aide Pankaj Mishra in connection with the alleged illegal mining case, sources privy to the matter said. However, there was no official confirmation from the ED on Mishra’s arrest.
“Mishra was questioned by the ED on Tuesday and later taken to Kotwali police station where he will be locked up during the night. He will be produced before a court on Wednesday,” the source said.
On July 15, the ED had said: “Cash totalling Rs 11.88 crore generated from illegal mining in Jharkhand lying in various bank accounts has been seized. With this, the total seizure of cash and bank balance linked with illegal mining stands at Rs 36.58 crore.”
Cash was also seized from the bank accounts of Dahoo Yadav, an associate of Mishra. The ED had earlier conducted searches at 19 locations in Jharkhand’s Sahibganj, Barhet, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki and Barharwa areas, seizing documents and Rs 5.34 crore “unaccounted cash” on July 7.
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Barhet is the Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s constituency and Pankaj Mishra is CM’s representative.
The action comes months after the ED arrested senior IAS officer Pooja Singhal in connection with the MNREGA scam in Khunti district dating back to 2009-10 when she was the deputy commissioner there.
On May 3 last year, a woman police officer Rupa Tirkey had died allegedly by suicide in Sahebganj district.
Tirkey had been investigating a case against Pankaj Mishra. Supported by the BJP, Tirkey’s family petitioned the Jharkhand High Court seeking a CBI investigation into the case, which was granted in September last year.
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