RANCHI: ED has summoned Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu for questioning in the land scam case, for which, former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren has been arrested. According to ED sources, he has been asked to appear for questioning on February 10.After continuous searches for 10 consecutive days, `351.8 crore was recovered from Sahu’s properties in Jharkhand and Odisha. Sahu, a resident of Lohardaga in Jharkhand, is an old Congress leader who began his political career as a student leader in 1977. Presently, he is serving as a Rajya Sabha MP for the third time.ED wants to probe Sahu’s link with Soren in connection to his alleged relations to the former Jharkhand CM and a BMW car which was confiscated by the agency from his Delhi residence on January 29. ED wants to interrogate and record Sahu’s statement, informed the sources. Earlier on Wednesday, ED conducted searches at a property in Gurugram, linked to the address registered for a Haryana-number-plated SUV. Additionally, two locations in Kolkata were also searched as part of the same investigation. The central agency suspects that this vehicle may be connected to Sahu through a potentially “benami” arrangement. ED had arrested Soren on January 31 on charges of money laundering related to an alleged case of illegal land acquisition and possession. The 48-year-old esigned as the Jharkhand CM before he was formally arrested and is currently in ED’s custody. Some other persons linked to the case have been summoned by the agency for questioning. They will confront Soren and another accused in the case— Bhanu Pratap Prasad, ex-revenue department sub-inspector of the Jharkhand government.Governor dismisses Soren’s claimDays after Hemant Soren said that the Raj Bhawan had played a key role in his arrest on January 31, Jharkhand Governor on Thursday rejected the allegations saying all democratic norms were followed in forming new government in the state.
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