LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Ranchi, Feb 22: The marathon raid of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the billionaire chief engineer of the Jharkhand government Virendra Ram was completed on Wednesday afternoon, but the agency has continued its questioning.
The raid was started on Tuesday morning at the Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Delhi premises of Virendra Ram. Besides, raids were carried out against a contractor Atikullah, chartered accountant Mukesh Mittal and others.
The ED detained Virendra Ram on Tuesday morning at his Ranchi residence. Today he was taken to the zonal office of the agency near the Airport in Ranchi.
Well-placed sources said that he has been taken to the agency office for questioning as incriminating documents and evidence have been seized that suggest that Virendra Ram has accumulated huge properties through corruption.
“His statement is being taken and we are verifying documents seized during the raids. He has made heavy investments through various companies besides he raised immovable and movable assets which primarily look to the tune of Rs 100 Crore,” well-placed sources said.
During the questioning, he claimed that he did not raise disproportionate assets as he took loans from private persons to purchase properties. But he could not produce any evidence.
The ED suspects that Virendra Ram who is politically well-connected is part of a high-level powerful syndicate that has been involved in looting government money. Notably, the ED has decided to scrutinize high-value tenders passed during his regime.
During the raids, the ED team seized Rs 30 Lakh cash, jewellery worth Rs 1.50 Crore, and housing properties at Defense Colony and Chhatarpur in Delhi. These are the undisclosed assets. One such housing property he had purchased at Defense Colony in the name of his father Gangaram to the tune of Rs 4 Crore. The actual market price of his housing assets in Delhi is over Rs 40 Crore.
