The Enforcement Directorate (ED) team summoned Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for a money laundering case related to a land parcel measuring 7.16 acres, in  Bajra area of  Ranchi, Jharkhand allegedly acquired through proceeds of crime involving illegal sale of Army land. According to the sources, after questioning him for 7 hours on 20th January 2024, ED had sent an email to Soren to question him again on 29th January or 31st January 2024. Soren replied but did not confirm the date or time. In the email, Soren accused ED's actions to be "motivated by political agenda" to disrupt the state government's functioning and claimed that its insistence to record his statement again on or before 31st January 2024, seems they want to do something wrong. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) team visited Hemant Soren’s Delhi home to question him in the case on 29th January 2024 but Soren was nowhere to be found. According to the reports, the ED team reached Soren’s Delhi home at around 9 am. And was unable to find him. ED officials searched the premises for over 13 hours and tried contacting Soren multiple times but it was of no use. ED sent some other teams to Delhi’s Jharkhand Bhawan and a few other locations also but could not find Soren there as well. ED then seized some important documents & a Haryana-registered BMW car from Soren's residence. The ED officials had already visited Soren’s official Jharkhand residence too. The official sources claimed that Soren was "missing" as ED was unable to contact him. Soren’s family members have alleged the missing’ blame is a false narrative being circulated to "delegitimize" Soren and his reputation. Soren’s party, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) rubbished the confusion regarding Soren's whereabouts and announced that he will appear before ED on 31st January 2024. One of the members, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that they had informed the ED regarding Soren's acceptance of the summons as well as his willingness to record his statement on 31st January 2024, at 1 pm at his Ranchi residence. The Jharkhand unit of the BJP has claimed that Soren has been absconding for the last 18 hours out of ED’s fear. Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi wrote on X (Twitter) "According to media sources, late at night Hemant ji, wearing slippers and covering his face with a sheet, ran away from his Delhi residence on foot. Ajay Singh, the security personnel of a special branch who went with him to Delhi, is also missing. The mobile phones of both of them have also been switched off. Since then, the ED and Delhi Police have been searching for them. There cannot be any other example of such gross negligence regarding the security of the chief minister."

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• jharkhand cm hemant soren
• jharkhand hemant soren

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