Express News Service
RANCHI: After conducting searches for more than 35 hours at over 2 dozen locations of Chief Engineer Virendra Kumar Ram all over the Country, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths finally arrested him late in the night on Wednesday in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in implementation of some schemes.
According to ED sources, the Chief Engineer has amassed properties, both movable and immovable, to over 100 crore.
ED sources claimed that while conducting searches at his locations since 5 am on Tuesday, they have recovered evidences of amassing properties worth several hundred crore by the Chief Engineer. Earlier on Tuesday, ED had also recovered jewelry worth Rs 1.5 crore from his residence in Ranchi.
Earlier, the ED officials took Ram along with his aide Alok Ranjan at their zonal office in Ranchi for interrogation. According to officials, Ram was “evasive” in his replies and the ED will seek for his custodial interrogation after they produce him before a local court on Thursday.
Interestingly, a pen drive has been recovered from Ram having all details of transactions made by him with politicians and bureaucrats as well. Now, all those politicians, who were closer to Ram, are under ED scanner, they said.
According to officials in Rural development Department, despite the fact that he did not any such prior experience, Ram was made Chief Engineer of Rural Development Department, under which tender is granted for construction of roads in rural areas worth several hundred crore.ED sources said that the agency is keeping all aspects into consideration while investigating the case. They are trying to find out the source of the huge properties amassed by Ram.
As of now, the ED has recovered Rs 30 lakh cash, jewelry worth Rs 1.5 crore, a fleet of 8 luxury cars worth several crore and over a dozen bungalows and flats located at posh locations in metro and other cities.
Notably, Virendra Kumar Ram had come into the limelight in 2019 when a team of the Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) seized over Rs 2.50 crore from one of his subordinates. Later, the ED took over the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Ram reportedly had strong links right from politicians to the bureaucracy due to which he had been managing the tenders of rural development department.
According to the people close him, Ram’s wife Rajkumari had also been making efforts to contest elections from Jugasalai Assembly seat in Jamshedpur but was not given ticket for it.
According to the government sources, due to closeness with the political parties across the party line, Virendra Ram always enjoyed plum posts no matter whose government it was.
RANCHI: After conducting searches for more than 35 hours at over 2 dozen locations of Chief Engineer Virendra Kumar Ram all over the Country, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths finally arrested him late in the night on Wednesday in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in implementation of some schemes.
According to ED sources, the Chief Engineer has amassed properties, both movable and immovable, to over 100 crore.
ED sources claimed that while conducting searches at his locations since 5 am on Tuesday, they have recovered evidences of amassing properties worth several hundred crore by the Chief Engineer. Earlier on Tuesday, ED had also recovered jewelry worth Rs 1.5 crore from his residence in Ranchi.
Earlier, the ED officials took Ram along with his aide Alok Ranjan at their zonal office in Ranchi for interrogation. According to officials, Ram was “evasive” in his replies and the ED will seek for his custodial interrogation after they produce him before a local court on Thursday.
Interestingly, a pen drive has been recovered from Ram having all details of transactions made by him with politicians and bureaucrats as well. Now, all those politicians, who were closer to Ram, are under ED scanner, they said.
According to officials in Rural development Department, despite the fact that he did not any such prior experience, Ram was made Chief Engineer of Rural Development Department, under which tender is granted for construction of roads in rural areas worth several hundred crore.
ED sources said that the agency is keeping all aspects into consideration while investigating the case. They are trying to find out the source of the huge properties amassed by Ram.
As of now, the ED has recovered Rs 30 lakh cash, jewelry worth Rs 1.5 crore, a fleet of 8 luxury cars worth several crore and over a dozen bungalows and flats located at posh locations in metro and other cities.
Notably, Virendra Kumar Ram had come into the limelight in 2019 when a team of the Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) seized over Rs 2.50 crore from one of his subordinates. Later, the ED took over the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Ram reportedly had strong links right from politicians to the bureaucracy due to which he had been managing the tenders of rural development department.
According to the people close him, Ram’s wife Rajkumari had also been making efforts to contest elections from Jugasalai Assembly seat in Jamshedpur but was not given ticket for it.
According to the government sources, due to closeness with the political parties across the party line, Virendra Ram always enjoyed plum posts no matter whose government it was.
