In a money laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached numerous assets worth Rs 82.77 crore linked to jailed Jharkhand IAS officer Pooja Singhal.
Singhal was accused of participating in the suspected diversion of MGNREGA funds while serving as Deputy Commissioner in Khunti from 2009 to 2010.
A brief about the ED has attached IAS officer Pooja Singhal’s 83 cr property connected to MGNREGA
One super specialty hospital (Pulse Super Speciality Hospital), one diagnostic center (Pulse Diagnostic and Imaging Centre), and two land parcels in Ranchi were confiscated, according to an ED spokesperson.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached suspended IAS official Pooja Singhal’s properties worth Rs 82.77 crore on December 1, 2022. The properties include two land parcels in Ranchi, as well as the super specialty hospital “Pulse Super Speciality Hospital” and the diagnostics center “Pulse Diagnostic and Imagining Center,” according to the ED.
Singhal, a 2000-batch IAS officer, and Jharkhand Mining Secretary was detained in May on money laundering accusations related to alleged violations in the MGNREGA system. She is currently being held in judicial custody.
In July, the agency filed a charge sheet against her, which was followed by two further prosecution complaints (charge sheets).
An FIR filed by the Jharkhand police and Vigilance Bureau resulted in the money laundering case against Singhal and others.
“Investigation revealed that the proceeds of crime from the MNREGA fraud, in the form of commission, were deposited in several bank accounts belonging to Singhal and her relatives.” According to the spokesperson, “these revenues were blended and layered with additional unexplained money generated by Singhal.”
“Pooja Singhal amassed enormous wealth that was disproportionate to her recognized source of income, and the funds invested in these immovable properties were predominantly derived from unaccounted cash revenues produced from these proceeds of crime.”
Singhal served as deputy commissioner in Khunti from 2009 to 2010. According to ED sources, she faced numerous charges of irregularities between 2007 and 2013. “During the period, Pooja Singhal and Abhishek Jha’s (bank) accounts had substantial cash deposits to the tune of Rs 1.43 crore.” “The amount deposited in different fiscal years was in excess of the remuneration,” the ED had previously informed the court.
