Ranchi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to Sahibganj Deputy Commissioner Ram Niwas Yadav for his involvement in the Rs 1250 crore illegal mining case. Yadav has been directed to appear before the authorities on January 11, as part of the ongoing investigation.
Additionally, architect Vinod Kumar, reportedly close to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has also been summoned by the ED on 15 January. The agency has further called upon the Chief Minister’s press advisor, Abhishek alias Pintu, to appear for questioning on 16 January.
This move comes following a series of raids conducted by the central investigating agency on January 3, which led to the recovery of various incriminating digital devices, documents, records, and a substantial sum of cash totaling Rs. 36.99 lakhs. Notably, out of this amount, Rs 7.25 lakhs were found at the Sahibganj DC Ram Niwas Yadav’s camp office.
According to ED sources, the remaining funds were seized from the premises of Vinod Kumar, the proprietor of Grid Consultant Architect company. The ED alleges that Vinod Kumar has amassed significant wealth under his name and that of his family members, warranting further investigation into their financial transactions and assets.
Notably, Yadav had come under the Enforcement Directorate’s scrutiny due to his close association with Pankaj Mishra, who serves as the MLA representative for Chief Minister Hemant Soren. His involvement in investigating the incident involving a ship carrying trucks loaded with stone chips that met with an accident in the Ganga River in Sahibganj had also raised questions and warranted investigation.
The summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate mark a significant step in the ongoing probe into the massive illegal mining case, aiming to uncover the extent of the alleged financial irregularities and the involvement of key individuals in the case.
