12 Hours, 6 Machines, Rs 30 Crore And Counting: Ranchi's Huge Cash Haul
NDTV
Coming days ahead of the Lok Sabha election in Jharkhand, the recovery has raised a political storm.
At least six cash counting machines are working non-stop to give a number to the mountain of cash recovered from a room in Jharkhand capital Ranchi during a raid in a money laundering case. Cash worth Rs 30 crore has been counted over the past 12 hours, sources said, and several officials are at work to reach a final number. Multiple cash counting machines, officials said, have broken down and new ones brought in.
The room where the cash mountain has been unearthed belongs to Jahangir, house help of Sanjiv Lal, a personal secretary to Jharkhand Rural Development minister and Congress leader Alamgir Alam. Officials of the Enforcement Directorate unearthed the cash during its raids at half a dozen premises linked to Virendra Ram, former chief engineer at Jharkhand Rural Development Department. Ram was arrested last year in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the implementing government schemes.
Coming days ahead of the Lok Sabha election in Jharkhand, the recovery has raised a political storm. The BJP has pointed to the Congress minister's connection and accused the Opposition party of corruption. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Odisha for the election campaign, referred to the cash haul. "Today, mountains of currency notes are being found in the neighbouring state Jharkhand. Now tell me, if I stop their theft, their earning, their loot, won't they abuse Modi or not? Despite abuses, Shouldn't I be doing this work? Shouldn't I be saving your money," he asked, countering the Opposition's charge on the Centre's alleged misuse of probe agencies.
