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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday launched a massive search operation covering four premises across Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand and Karnataka linked to a bomb attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office in Jharkhand's Ranchi in June this year.
ED's Delhi zone unit carried out the operation covering the premises of suspects linked to the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to trace the illegal financial transactions of the accused involved in the attack. The ED launched the searches under Section 17 of the PMLA, which grants extensive powers of search and seizure to the agency and authorised officers. Officials said the predicate offence in the instant matter is a National Investigation Agency (NIA) case related to the bomb attack on the RSS office in Ranchi on June 17, 2026. The NIA took over the probe into the petrol bomb attack on the RSS regional office in Ranchi. Two individuals had hurled makeshift petrol bombs made from chilli sauce bottles at the RSS office in Nivaranpur in Ranchi around 12:30 am on June 17. The bottles caused minor flames that died out on their own, resulting in no major property damage or injuries. The NIA found that the arrested local suspectsincluding Saif Ansari and Aman Ansarihad connections to the ISI-funded group Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH). Investigations revealed that the suspects were radicalised during visits to Dubai and communicated with handlers via encrypted messaging apps. Simultaneously, the ED also carried out searches at three premises linked to businessman and former Minister of State for Haryana Gopal Goyal Kanda in connection with a Rs 248.46 crore alleged money laundering probe. The search operation has been underway since early Thursday and is covering three premises of Kanda in Haryana's Gurugram. The premises being searched include his residence, farmhouse and office. The ED launched the searches under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which grants extensive powers of search and seizure to the agency and authorised officers. The searches are being conducted in connection with an ongoing investigation by ED's Gurugram unit into a large-scale real estate fraud by Vatika Limited, in which investors were induced to invest in commercial projects on assurances of timely possession, assured returns, lease rentals and execution of sale deeds. Officials said the four projects under investigation involved collection of approximately Rs 248.46 crore from 661 investors, without handing over possession or executing the promised sale deeds till date. The search operation is underway in close coordination with security and state police forces. Officials said the searches were initiated in this case based on the "financial trail and suspected diversion of home buyers funds." Officials further said that the "diverted funds were subsequently transferred to various companies linked with Kanda." (ANI)
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