ED raids residences of Hemant Soren’s media advisor, Sahebganj deputy commissioner

The raids are being conducted in connection with an ongoing money laundering probe related to the alleged illegal mining scam in Jharkhand

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday carried out raids at multiple locations across three states, including the residence of Abhishek Prasad, media advisor to Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, Ramniwas Yadav, an IAS officer and current deputy commissioner of Sahebganj district, among others, people aware of the development said.

Representational image.

Well-placed sources said the raids are being conducted in connection with an ongoing money laundering probe related to the alleged illegal mining scam in the state.

Besides the residence of Prasad, alias Pintu, in Ranchi, locations linked to Yadav in Sahebganj and Rajasthan are also being searched, an official said.

Others being raided include the residence of architect Binod Kumar in Ranchi, residence of businessmen Khodaniya brothers in Sahebganj, residence of Jharkhand police DySP Rajendra Dubey in Hazaribagh. Locations linked to one Abhay Saraogi in Kolkata and the Ranchi residence of Awdhesh Kumar, a sepoy posted in Ranchi central jail, are also being searched, a source said.