The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated search operations at approximately 20 locations in Jharkhand on Monday morning linked to an alleged scam involving ₹4,000 crore in the Jal Jeevan Mission.
The locations being raided are associated with Jharkhand's Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister, Mithilesh Thakur, as well as senior IAS officer Manish Ranjan and his associates.
According to reports, ED teams are conducting searches at Vijay Agarwal's residence on Indrapuri Road, Ratu Road, and several other sites. Raids are also taking place in Harmu, Ranchi.
In addition, searches are being carried out at IAS officer Manish Ranjan’s location, the office of Minister Mithilesh Thakur’s personal secretary, Harendra Singh, the minister’s brother, Vinay Thakur, and various departmental engineers.
The ED is conducting these raids in connection with allegations of irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission under the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department.
Minister Mithilesh Thakur, a former contractor turned politician, wields considerable influence in the current administration.
IAS officer Manish Ranjan, who has previously been investigated by the ED in connection with a rural development scam, served as Secretary in the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department for an extended period.
The alleged scam in the drinking water and sanitation department is reportedly of massive scale, with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Jharkhand High Court claiming fraud exceeding ₹4,000 crore.
During their Lok Sabha election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders highlighted ongoing corruption in the central scheme aimed at providing piped drinking water to every household.
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