VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, May 23: District mining officer of Sahibganj Bibhuti Kumar is said to have finally arrived at the zonal office of the Enforcement Directorate in Ranchi for his questioning in the money laundering case against IAS Pooja Singhal.
The ED had twice sent him summons but he allegedly avoided facing the ED for questioning. On Monday morning, he quietly reached the ED office on his scooter. The ED first sent him a summon along with the mining officer of Dumka Krishna Kumar Kisku and Pradeep Sah of Pakur. But he sought an extension on the ground that he is busy with the marriage ceremony of his daughter scheduled on May 17. He said that he is on leave till May 20. When the ED sent him the second summon he sought another 15 days.
But the ED refused to grant him even a single day and said that agency would take strong legal action against him including an arrest warrant for defying the summon of the ED. The ED will now confront him with Pooja Singhal who is in police custody.
He is among the three mining officers whose role the Ed has been investigating in connection with money laundering through illegal mining.
The ED secured her custody for another five days to quiz and confront her with mining officers of three districts including Bibhuti Kumar. He is the only officer who has not been questioned by the ED in connection with money laundering through illegal mining.
