RANCHI: In a major blow to suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal arrested in a money laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached her properties worth Rs 88.77 crore located in Ranchi. The ED, after interrogation for over 15 hours, arrested Pooja Singhal on May 11 in a money laundering case linked to alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds and other charges.
The 2000-batch Indian Administrative Service officer was taken into ED custody under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Singhal was arrested on the second day of the questioning being done by the ED officials.
“Directorate of Enforcement has provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs. 82.77 crore (market value) belonging to Pooja Singhal, IAS in Ranchi, Jharkhand. The properties include one super speciality hospital namely Pulse Super speciality Hospital, one diagnostics centre namely Pulse Diagnostic and Imagining Centre and two land parcels situated in Ranchi only,” stated the release.
According to the information provided by ED after conducting raids at various locations in Ranchi and other locations, Rs 1.43 crore more than the known sources of her income were recovered from the bank accounts while she was Deputy Commissioner in Khunti, Palamu and Chatra. The ED also claimed that Singhal purchased as many as 13 insurance policies by paying a premium of Rs 80.81 lakh and closed them before the completion of their tenure and got Rs 84.64 lakh against it.
The ED also informed that Singhal transferred Rs 16.57 lakh to the three bank accounts related to CA Suman Kumar. The ED is said to have gathered sufficient evidence to suggest that she is in close connection with CA Suman Kumar and had financial transactions with him.