Chief Minister Hemant Soren Evades Authorities Amidst Money Laundering Probe, Alleges Jharkhand BJP

On Monday, the Jharkhand BJP asserted that Chief Minister Hemant Soren had been evading authorities for the past 18 hours, fearing repercussions from the Enforcement Directorate. This comes in light of his sudden trip to Delhi prompted by a recent summons from the Enforcement Directorate, requiring his participation in an ongoing money laundering probe scheduled for January 29.

State BJP president Babulal Marandi, in a post on X (formerly Twitter), claimed, "According to media reports, late at night, Hemant ji, wearing slippers and concealing his face with a sheet, fled on foot from his Delhi residence. Ajay Singh, the security personnel from the special branch accompanying him to Delhi, is also unaccounted for."

Both their mobile phones are reportedly switched off, and since then, the Enforcement Directorate and Delhi Police have been actively searching for them. Marandi criticized the apparent security lapse concerning the chief minister, stating, "There cannot be any other example of such gross negligence regarding the security of the chief minister."

In connection with a money laundering investigation into an alleged land fraud case, an Enforcement Directorate team visited Soren's Delhi residence on Monday. The agency had previously questioned Soren at his official residence in Ranchi on January 20 and issued fresh summons for questioning on either January 29 or January 31.

Official sources reported that Soren was "missing" and unreachable by the federal agency. During the search at his residence, the agency seized a Haryana-registered BMW car and recovered documents. The investigation centers around an alleged "large-scale racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand.

In connection with the case, the Enforcement Directorate has already arrested 14 individuals, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, who held positions as the director of the state's Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.