Who is IAS Pooja Singhal, probed by ED in money laundering case

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In a shocking incident, a probe has been conducted on IAS Pooja Singhal, the Jharkhand Mining Secretary and her family, in connection with a money laundering case. Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at 18 locations in four states, including premises linked to the IAS officer.

ED is probing the case of money laundering involving the alleged diversion of MGNREGA funds in Khunti district of the state during 2008-11. The agency recovered Rs 18 crore in cash from the house of a Ranchi-based chartered accountant who is allegedly linked to Singhal, sources said.

Read | Enforcement Directorate conducts raids at India Bulls Housing offices in Delhi, Mumbai

Raids by ED were conducted in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Punjab where the agency unearthed various documents regarding assets and properties allegedly linked to Singhal. ED sources said they include a multi-speciality hospital in Ranchi. The probe is tied to a case registered five years ago.

The searches are being carried out under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at about 18 premises in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Delhi, Punjab, and a few other states, ED officials stated. 

The case is based on a 2017 FIR registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau against a junior engineer, identified as Ram Binod Prasad Sinha, for alleged embezzlement of public money to the tune of Rs 18.06 crore between 2008 and 2011 and investing it in his name and those of his family members while in service.

Who is IAS Pooja Singhal?

Pooja Singhal is an IAS officer and secretary of the Department of Mines and Geology of Jharkhand government, posted in capital Ranchi.

Prior to this, Pooja Singhal, the contoversial IAS officer was working as Agriculture Secretary in the BJP government.

Pooja Singhal is a 2000 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and was posted as the deputy commissioner in Khunti district earlier.

IAS Pooja Singhal also serves as the chairman of Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation (JSMDC).

IAS Pooja Singhal has faced several serious allegations of financial irregularities during her tenure as Deputy Commissioner in Chatra, Khunti and Palamu districts, media reports suggest.

As Depiuty Commissioner of Palamu, Pooja Singhal was accused of transferring nearly 83 acres of land to a private company for mining.

 

IAS Pooja Singhal is married to Abhishek Jha, the managing director of Pulse Super specialty hospital in Ranchi. 

After divorcing IAS officer Rahul Purwar, Pooja Singhal married Abhishek Jha. ED officials are investigating a hideout on Abhishek’s Ratu Road residence. 

Pooja Singhal’s brother Sidharth Singhal, who was among the directors of Pulse Super specialty hospital, is also under ED scanner in connection to the alleged embezzlement of MNREGA funds.

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