Officer who sold IAS for money, ED shocked to see hordes of cash during raid; Who is Pooja Singhal IAS?

RANCHI: Multiple raids were conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at the premises of Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal IAS on Saturday, in connection with a money laundering case. The raids were conducted in 18 locations in five states where the officer is suspected to have links. About Rs 18 crores has been recovered from the premises of a Ranchi-based chartered accountant-cum-financial advisor, alleged to be linked with Pooja and her family.

Who is Pooja Singhal IAS?

Pooja Singhal IAS is the secretary of Jharkhand mining department. She is a 2000 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. Earlier, she served as a deputy commissioner in the districts of Khunti and Palamu, where she was accused of financial scams. She has also served as the agricultural secretary during the former BJP government. However, she is said to have made illegal money while working in the mining department. It was alleged that Pooja Singhal had handed over 83 acres of land to a private company for mining while she was the deputy commissioner in Palamu.

Pooja Singhal was first married to IAS officer Rahul Purwar. However, the marriage did not last for long. The couple soon got divorced and she then married Abhishek Jha, Managing Director of Pulse Super Specialty Hospital, Ranchi. The ED has launched investigation in areas linked to Jha as well. Pooja’s brother Siddharth Singhal, one of the directors of Pulse Super Specialty Hospital, is also under investigation. The news of Rs 17 crore cash recovered from the premises of Ranchi-based chartered accountant had been reported with much significance by the national media.