Koda associate arrested, sent to 14 day judicial custody (Lead)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Friday made its first arrest in the Rs.2,500 crore money laundering scam allegedly involving Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda by nabbing an associate who was later sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

"We have arrested Vikas Sinha. He was questioned in connection with hawala transactions," Prabha Kant, deputy director, Enforcement Directorate (ED), told reporters here. Vikas Sinha is the businessman brother of Vinod Sinha, who according to income tax (IT) officials is the kingpin of the scam and a good friend of Lok Sabha MP Koda.

Vikas Sinha was sent to 14 days judicial custody after being produced in the court of Special Judge Pankaj Kumar. According to sources, ED will Saturday seek his remand and also ask for court permission to conduct a narco test on him.

Vikas Sinha told reporters: "ED and IT officials have found nothing against me and are putting pressure on me to admit to the alleged illegal transactions and dealings".

The IT department had raided his house in Jamshedpur and he was brought to Ranchi Friday and arrested by the ED.

The ED has also served notices on three former ministers in the Koda cabinet, summoning them to New Delhi for interrogation from Nov 10 to 12 with details of their assets and investments. These are Kamlesh Singh, Bhanu Pratap Shahi and Bandhu Tirkey.

Harendra Singh, Koda's personal secretary, is also in the IT department's custody. He is said to have surrendered and was brought to the Ranchi IT office under heavy security.

More people are likely to be arrested. Others who appeared Friday in the IT office are Bhim Singh and Anil Bastawde.

The IT department had asked Vinod Sinha, Sanjay Kumar Choudhary, Devendra Mukhiya, Basant Bhattacharya, Manoj Punamiya and Bastawde to appear before it by 11 a.m. Friday. Only Bastawde did so.

On Oct 9, the ED had lodged a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Koda, the three former ministers as well as his associates Vinod Sinha and Chaudhary.

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( 353 Words)

2009-11-06-18:51:51 (IANS)

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