Enforcement Directorate sleuths have started interrogating former Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the alleged land scam case as the five-day remand of Soren started today. ED officials brought Soren from Birsa Munda Central Jail, Ranchi around 2:30 PM to the Zonal office of ED in Ranchi.
Highly placed sources said that the evidence available with the ED will be placed before the accused and he will be interrogated so that it can be known who else is involved in the illegal acquisition of land along with the accused. The interrogation is also aimed at finding out the role of other people involved in this entire episode along with the accused person.
The investigation is also being done in the direction of finding the sources of wealth and property through which the large plot of land was acquired and other properties acquired by the accused, said sources.
During the search operation in the money laundering case, ED had found the mobile phone of revenue inspector Bhanu Pratap, which was confiscated by the agency. Many chats and information related to cash transactions and giving illegal benefits to others in land acquisition were found on the mobile phone.
Information about land and property illegally acquired and occupied by Soren was also found in the phone. The total area of the land in question is 8.5 acres.
Meanwhile, the PMLA court on Saturday granted permission to Soren to cast his vote during the floor test of the newly formed government on February 5.
Soren had requested the court to allow him to leave for an hour during ED’s custody so that he could cast his vote in the floor test of the new government. The court allowed his plea.
However, the court rejected his request to stay in Birsa Munda Jail during the ED remand period. Hemant’s advocate Rajeev Ranjan had appealed to the court to keep him in Birsa Munda Jail due to security concerns, but the court rejected the plea. The court has granted permission to Soren’s wife and relatives to meet him for half an hour during the day.
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