VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, July 26: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized a vessel belonging to Dahu Yadav and Bacchu Yadav in Sahibganj who evaded repeated summons of the ED for their questioning in the money laundering case. The said vessel was found anchored at Shukra Bazaar ghat and it was allegedly operated in an illegal manner in the Ganga inland water.
Talking to the Lagatar24.com, Sahibganj DC Ramnivas Yadav said that the district administration acted on a complaint that a vessel was illegally operated from Shukra Bazaar ghat which is not a notified ghat.
“The district administration detained the vessel. There was no truck or consignment on the vessel that time. But I don’t know whether or not this belongs to any Bacchu Yadav and Dahu Yadav. To my knowledge the ED team visited the ghat to inquire the matter,” said the Sahibganj DC. The said truck at a time can carry 24 trucks.
The ED is learnt to have asked the Sahibganj police to trace its two top money laundering suspects Dahu Yadav and Bacchu Yadav as they have avoided two back to back summons of the agency for their questioning. Notably, the ED team is in Sahibganj carrying out field investigation, inspection of mines and collecting documents from the mining and forest department.
Reliable sources have said that the ED has informally apprised the district police that the agency is in no position to trace their whereabouts as they have gone incommunicado. It has said that the district police may be in a better position to trace and persuade them to appear before the ED. The agency has further said that both of them left the investigation in the middle and their questioning has not been completed.
The ED began questioning Dahu Yadav from July 14 onward till July 18. But in the morning of July 19 he sent a representation to the ED through his lawyer Shashikant Jaiswal that he needs to rush to Sahibganj owing to the sudden illness of his mother.
The ED wanted to confront them with Pankaj Mishra whose six days police remand period concluded on Tuesday. The ED got his additional six days police remand. Pankaj Mishra is the MLA representative of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and he was arrested for committing money laundering through illegal stone mining.
As per the law a person arrested under any change can’t be taken on police remand for more than 14 days. In such a situation the ED wants to question them along with Pankaj Mishra. But both of them are apprehensive and fear their arrest as happened with Pankaj Mishra.
Sources said that both of them have revealed much vital information about ongoing illegal mining. They alleged Pankaj Mishra as the kingpin of illegal stone mining and transportation. Insiders said that during questioning Dahu Yadav even told the ED that people may accuse him as a criminal and murderer but he would not like to be associated with such kind of activities. The ED is in the possession of a number of incriminating documents about their close relation and business interest.
