Jharkhand CM reaches Ranchi residence amid 'missing' reports

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who remained untraceable for 40 hours, has returned to his Ranchi residence. Recent reports indicate that he is scheduled to chair a meeting with ruling alliance MLAs. Soren, who is facing summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged land scam, has agreed to record his statement at his residence on Wednesday at 1 pm. While expressing his willingness to cooperate, the Chief Minister raised concerns about the timing of the inquiry, suggesting political motives to disrupt his government's functioning.

In a letter to the ED's Ranchi office, Soren mentioned, "You are well aware that the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly will be held between 2nd and 29th February 2024, and the undersigned will be pre-occupied with preparations for the same apart from other prior scheduled official engagements."

ED officials, investigating the money laundering case linked to the alleged land scam, visited Soren's Delhi residence on Monday night. However, they were unable to locate him during that time. Additionally, Section 144 CrPc has been imposed within a 100-meter radius of Soren's residence, Raj Bhavan, and the ED office in Ranchi.

In a significant development, ED officials seized two luxury cars and ₹36 lakh from Soren's Delhi residence on Monday night as part of the ongoing investigation.