The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday arrested Hemant Soren, moments after he demitted the office of Jharkhand chief minister, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with its probe into an alleged land scam in the state, people familiar with the development said.
Soren, in a video message before his arrest said, "The ED has come to arrest me today. After questioning me for the entire day, they have decided to arrest me in a planned manner, on an issue which is not linked to me. They (ED) found no evidence, they even tried to tarnish my image by conducting raids in Delhi."
Sources said Soren had asked the ED to allow him to resign first before his arrest was recorded and the investigators agreed to it. Governor CP Radhakrishnan accepted the resignation.
Soren chose his father’s close aide and minister Champai Soren as his successor.
Soren earlier on Wednesday lodged an FIR against senior ED personnel at the SC/ST police station over searches conducted by the agency at his Delhi residence, alleging that the ED conducted the search operation at his residence in the national capital to “harass and malign him and his entire community”.
(With PTI and DHNS inputs)
Published 01 February 2024, 04:32 IST