Chartered Accountant (CA) Suman Kumar, during interrogation, has claimed that most of the cash recovered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 6 belongs to IAS officer Pooja Singhal.
The ED on Thursday submitted documents, comprising details of the revelations made by the CA, to the CBI-PMLA court in Ranchi.
Vinod Kumar, assistant director of ED's regional office in Ranchi, has provided details of the interrogation to the court. According to this, the CA has told the ED that on the instructions of Singhal, he had given Rs 3 crore cash to a big builder to buy the land of Pulse Hospital owned by her family.
The court has also been apprised about the bribery case linked to Singhal. According to this, an officer accused of MGNREGA scam in Khunti has informed the ED that when Singhal was the Deputy Commissioner (DC) in Khunti. "The accused Junior Engineer Ram Binod Prasad Sinha was paying bribe to Pooja Singhal. He has confessed that on four occasions he had seen the accused Junior Engineer handing over bags containing 18-20 gaddis (bundles) of notes of Rs 500 denomination."
The amount was allegedly given in lieu of irregularities in MNREGA schemes.
The ED has said that when Singhal was posted as DC in Khunti, as well as Chatra, there were large-scale irregularities in MNREGA. According to the bank statements of Pooja Singhal and her husband Abhishek Jha, perused by the ED, Rs 1.43 crore, in excess to Singhal's salary, was deposited in her account during her posting as DC.
Citing these revelations, the ED had sought 12 days custody of Singhal , on which the court has granted five-day custody of the accused to the ED.
2 CRPF personnel killed in attack by armed group in Manipur
Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, including a Sub Inspector, were killed and two others have been injured after armed groups attacked a camp of security forces in Manipur’s Bishnupur district early on Saturday, police said.
Land subsidence leaves 350 people homeless in J&K’s Ramban District
Over 350 people in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K’s) Ramban District abandoned their homes on Saturday after destruction of the houses due to land subsidence.
Houthi leader vows to continue maritime attacks, calls Indian Ocean 'new theatre of confrontation'
Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi group, has vowed to continue its naval operations in the Red Sea, rejecting media reports suggesting a decrease in Houthi maritime attacks, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.
Second phase of Lok Sabha polls sees enthusiastic voter turnout from Jammu to Kerala, Maharashtra to Tripura
The BJP, holding a significant number of seats in this phase, considers these elections crucial for maintaining and expanding its influence to secure a substantial majority in the Lok Sabha.
EC suspends 26 Tripura govt staff for taking part in political events, violation of poll code
The Election Commission (EC) has so far suspended 26 Tripura government employees, including security personnel, for participating in political events, election campaigns, and violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC),
Massive crowd greets PM Modi in Bareilly roadshow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a massive roadshow in Bareilly to garner support for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Chhatrapal Gangwar.
Police revolver among large cache of arms seized from Sandeshkhali, claims CBI
A Colt official police revolver was among a large cache of firearms seized by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) from a house at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Paragans, the CBI claimed in a statement issued on Friday evening.
DMs, SPs of violence-hit MP districts transferred
The farmers agitation entered its eighth day on Thursday. The peasants have been on strike since June 1, demanding loan waiver and fair price for their produce.