VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, May 8: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday summoned Abhishek Jha, husband of IAS and secretary of mining and industry departments, Pooja Singhal for questioning in the money laundering case.
The ED was originally investigating a scam in the MNREGA in Khunti district when she was posted there as deputy commissioner. During the investigation, the ED carried out raids at the residence of Pooja Singhal, her husband, CA Suman Kumar Singh, and others.
The ED sent him the summons on Saturday night and directed him to appear before ED zonal headquarters in Ranchi for questioning. Sources aware of the development said that the deputy director of the ED Subodh Kumar along with the two other senior officials of the agency and the IT department is questioning him.
Offering clues of the probable questions sources said that Abhishek Jha has to explain to the ED the total amount he spent on the construction of the Pulse Super Speciality Hospital in Ranchi. The ED doubts that Abhishek Jha has concealed actual amounts spent in the construction of the hospital and that a huge slush amount was infused into this health infrastructure.
The ED is learned to have procured relevant documents in this regard that suggests that he apparently did an under assessment of the cost of the construction of the hospital. The ED further quizzed whether Pooja Singhal has any involvement in the management of the hospital, both directly or indirectly.
The ED is learned to have confronted him with details of several companies with which he is directly or indirectly associated. These companies are suspected to be shell companies.
Notably on Saturday, the ED arrested chartered accountant Suman Singh who is said to be the CA of Abhishek Jha. The ED recovered Rs 19.31 Crore cash from the residence of Suman Singh. The ED asked whether or not the cash belonged to him.
