The Enforcement Directorate will interrogate Mohammed Saddam Hussain, who is in jail facing the charge of money laundering connected with ex-CM Hemant Soren who is also in jail.

Hussain is considered as a “mastermind” responsible for “preparing fake documents of land”. The PMLA court in Ranchi has allowed ED to interrogate Md. Saddam Hussain.

Though the ED had sought permission to allow it to take him out of jail and quiz him under its custody for seven days, the court allowed it to do so during his remand of just four days. 

This means the ED will start interrogating him from today, April 9, till April 12. Records show that Md. Saddam Hussain is an accused in a money laundering case connected with a land scam. 

The case dates back to April 14, 2023, when the EF arrested seven persons on charges of money laundering in connection with the fraudulent sale of at least two land parcels at premium locations in the state capital.  

This arrest had taken place a day after the ED had raided 21 locations across three states including the official and personal residence of IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan in Ranchi and Jamshedpur. 

Those arrested, include Md Saddam Hussain, Afshar Ali, Imtiaz Ahmed, Pradeep Bagchi, Talha Khan, Bhanu Pratap Prasad, and Faiyaz Khan. 

The ED crackdown was related to a money laundering probe in connection with the fraudulent sale of around 4.5 acres of land, in possession of the Indian army since independence, besides one 8.5 acres of land in in upscale Bariatu area of the state capital. 

Chhavi Ranjan is also under the ED scanner in the case as the 2011 batch IAS officer, currently, a director in the social welfare department, was deputy commissioner of Ranchi when these land deals were allegedly processed, sources said. Ranjan was in Ranchi DC from July 15, 2020, to July 11, 2022.