The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has undertaken search operations at eight locations in Jaipur and Banswara districts of Rajasthan, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), in connection with the Jal Jeevan Mission Scam, according to an official statement released on Wednesday, ANI reported.
Previously on Tuesday, searches were conducted at the residential premises of Mahesh Joshi, former Minister of Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) in the Government of Rajasthan, as well as officials of PHED and private individuals.
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During the government led by Congress leader Ashok Gehlot, Joshi served as the cabinet minister for the Public Health Engineering Department, which encountered allegations of corruption. This resulted in the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) filing a First Information Report (FIR).
The official statement disclosed that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched an inquiry following the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Rajasthan.
The FIR targeted individuals such as Padamchand Jain (Shree Shyam Tubewell Company), Mahesh Mittal (Shree Ganpati Tubewell Company), and others, including officials from the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED).
Simultaneously, another FIR was filed by the Rajasthan Police at Bajaj Nagar Police Station, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This FIR was based on a complaint alleging the “use of fake and fabricated work experience certificates by one of the suspected firms”.
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“The ED investigation revealed that the said contractors were involved in securing tenders of Jal Jeevan Mission works based on purported fake work completion certificates issued by Indian Railway Construction International Limited (IRCON) and by bribing senior PHED officials. Several middlemen and property dealers have aided the PHED officials in siphoning off the illegally earned money in the JJM scam. It has been gathered that certain properties were procured using money generated from criminal activity,” the release further read.
Rs 39 lakh in cash, deemed unaccounted, along with several incriminating documents, including property details, digital evidence, and mobile phones, have been seized. The total seizure in this case to date amounts to Rs 11.42 crore, which includes gold and silver valued at Rs 6.50 crore.
The investigation is ongoing with further progress expected in due course.
(With ANI inputs)