The Enforcement Directorate on Friday continued questioning of the mining department secretary

Pooja Singhal, chartered accountant Suman Singh and her husband Abhishek Jha.

Puja Singhal and Suman Singh are under police remand after they were arrested by the ED in the

money laundering charges. The ED on Friday also called city based builder Alok Saraogi who had sold

land to Abhishek Jha where Pulse Hospital was built. Abhishek Jha was allowed to go home around 4

p.m. but questioning of the rest continued.

The ED confronted them with several documents related to sale of land. In the confessional

statement Suman Singh had said that he had paid Rs three Crore to the builder on the instruction of

Pooja Singhal.

Alok Saraogi and his father Govind Saraogi are learnt to have a clean background. But, sale of land

has landed them in controversy.

The ED asked Saraogi to explain whether or not the land he sold to Abhishek Jha is controversial,

that it is a tribal land which cannot be sold.

Saraogi explained that he purchased land from a businessman named Rungta. The ED further

questioned Abhishek Jha and Pooja Singhal that how they secured a loan from the bank to construct

the building of the hospital. The ED asked them to explain documents they used to get a loan. The

ED may summon concerned officials of the revenue department to explain the nature of that land

and how it was sold.

During the questioning Pooja Singhal was twice examined by doctors. She is said to have

contradicted the statement of her Chartered accountant Suman Singh who has claimed that majority

of the cash recovered from his residence belong to her.

In another development the agency is said to have sent notices to the mining officer of three

districts namely Dumka, Sahibganj and Palamu. But the district mining officers of Sahibganj and

Palamu have denied having received any notice. The mining officer of Dumka Krishna Chandra Kisku

did not reply to the phone calls.

The ED is also investigating alleged corruption in the mining department. The ED during hearing of

PIL at Jharkhand High Court on Friday informed the court that it would file a report about the

investigation conducted so far. An ED official said that various incriminating documents and

evidence have been collected that reveal huge corruption in the mining department.