RANCHI: The ED produced former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren before the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court and moved a petition seeking an extension of his remand period for seven more days as his five-day remand ended on Wednesday,
After hearing the ED counsel at large, the court allowed the petition and extended his remand for five more days to ED.
The federal agency pleaded for the extension of his remand on the ground that the interrogation is not yet completed and Hemant Soren is yet to quizzed on several points.
Hemant Soren was remanded on Friday in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land fraud. Soren was arrested on Wednesday night after a seven-hour grilling by the ED in the money laundering case immediately after he resigned from the post of Chief Minister.
Another accused in the land scam case Bhanu Pratap Prasad, a revenue inspector from Bargain was arrested on Saturday and taken into remand for four days.
A few sources from the ED claimed that they wanted to question Bhanu Pratap and Hemant Soren together.
Prasad, was allegedly part of a syndicate involved in corrupt practices of acquiring properties forcefully as well as based on false deeds, falsification of government records, tampering with original revenue documents, etc.
According to the ED, several important documents related to land were found in the raid from the house of Sub-Inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad of Badagain zone.
Certain documents are allegedly linked with the CM related to the alleged grab of a costly parcel of tribal land in Ranchi.
ED has also seized digital evidences from his mobile phone to show how he was involved in hatching conspiracies with other persons, including Hemant Soren, to acquire properties illegally.
Bhanu Pratap Prasad, along with six other members of this land-grabbing syndicate, was arrested on March 14, 2023 for their involvement in illegal activities.
