VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, May 7: Kolkata-based husband and wife Prachi Agrawal and Raunaq Agrawal have become the most sought-after persons for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after the premier central agency carried out raids against senior IAS officer and secretary of the mining and the industry department, Pooja Singhal. She has been facing a probe for her alleged role in the MNREGA scam in Khunti district.
Raids were aimed against her husband Abhishek Jha also who is a big player in the health sector and owns Ranchi-based Pulse Super Speciality Hospital. Prachi and Raunaq are suspected to have operated over 20 shell companies. It is suspected that these companies were used to accommodate, layer and infuse slush money.
This hospital is part of the Pulse Sanjeevani Healthcare Private Limited which Abhishek Jha is operating as the managing director. The company was incorporated in November 2011. In this company, her brother Siddharth Singhal served as director besides Amita Jha (sister of Abhishek Jha) and Dipti Banerjee.
The investigation has revealed that another company Medansh Hospital Private Limited was incorporated in August 2016. Abhishek and Dipti joined it as directors. The company was amalgamated in 2020 into Pulse Sanjeevani Healthcare. The ED credibly doubts that Medansh Hospital Private Limited was formed with an objective to accommodate slush funds and the same was done through amalgamation.
Prachi was said to be among the directors of the Medansh Hospital Private Limited who resigned months before amalgamation. She even did not settle the outstanding dues which the company was supposed to pay her as a salary that runs into lakhs of rupees. Investigation revealed that both have been associated with over 20 companies and their balance sheets reflect transactions that primarily look suspicious.
Prachi is said to be in her thirties. Investigation revealed that her accounts had unusual transactions of high amounts after she came to be associated with Medansh and other companies. The ED is also investigating the role of Dipti Banerjee.
In another development, the ED team continued the investigation and examination of documents at Pulse Hospital. The ED officials are questioning chartered accountant Suman Kumar Singh about Rs 19.31 crores cash seized from his residence. He is said to be the chartered accountant of Abhishek Jha.
