IAS officer Sanjeev Hans ‘corruption’ probe takes ED to massive cash seizure from senior Bihar officials
According to ED officials, the searches were aimed at uncovering “evidence of bribery related to securing favourable decisions in government tenders and expediting payments for contractors, including a Patna-based contractor identified as Rishu Shree”.
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The ED accuses Hans of having cultivated relationships with powerful Bihar politicians who enabled his illicit activities. (File photo)The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized Rs 11.64 crore in cash from the premises of seven senior Bihar government officials in Patna during raids in the ongoing investigation into money laundering and corruption allegations involving IAS officer Sanjeev Hans.
According to ED officials, the searches were aimed at uncovering “evidence of bribery related to securing favourable decisions in government tenders and expediting payments for contractors, including a Patna-based contractor identified as Rishu Shree”.
The central agency on Thursday searched properties linked to Tarini Das, chief engineer at the Bihar Construction Department; Mumukshu Chaudhary, joint secretary in the Finance Department; Umesh Kumar Singh, executive engineer in the Urban Development and Housing Department; Ayaz Ahmed, deputy project director at Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd; Sagar Jaiswal, deputy general manager of projects at Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Ltd; Vikash Jha, another deputy general manager at the same corporation; and Saket Kumar, executive engineer with the Bihar Construction Department.
In addition to the cash, the agency confiscated a “substantial collection of property deeds, records detailing the distribution of bribe proceeds, and other incriminating materials, including digital evidence”. Sources said that four counting machines were needed to tally the cash.
The ED’s investigation centres on allegations that IAS officer Hans and his network abused their authority to accumulate illegal wealth between 2018 and 2023, during his influential postings in the Bihar government. The case against Hans first surfaced in January 2023, when a lawyer accused him and former Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLA Gulab Yadav of gangrape, coercion, blackmail, and forcing her to terminate a pregnancy. Although the Patna High Court dismissed the related FIR in September 2023, the accusation sparked scrutiny of financial dealings between Hans and Yadav.
Subsequently, the Bihar Police’s Special Vigilance Unit registered an FIR against Hans for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known income, and said it uncovered dubious transactions during its probe into the rape allegations. This FIR laid the foundation for the ED’s money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Police sources said Hans allegedly amassed wealth far exceeding his legitimate earnings through corrupt practices between 2018 and 2023. During this period, he served as Principal Secretary of Bihar’s Energy Department and held positions on central deputation.
In December 2024, the ED temporarily seized assets worth Rs 23.72 crore tied to Hans’s associates, including land in Nagpur and flats in Delhi and Jaipur – all allegedly acquired with illicit funds. The agency also recovered gold jewellery valued at Rs 1.25 crore, luxury watches worth Rs 65 lakh, silver bullion priced at Rs 11 lakh, and shares valued at Rs 60 crore held in proxy accounts. Investigators froze more than 70 bank accounts containing suspicious deposits totalling Rs 6 crore.
The ED accuses Hans of having cultivated relationships with powerful Bihar politicians who enabled his illicit activities. His role as chairman of the Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited is under scrutiny, with allegations that he awarded contracts worth Rs 3,300 crore in return for kickbacks.
Hans was arrested on October 18, 2024, alongside Gulab Yadav, under PMLA charges after evidence emerged of an extensive money laundering operation he allegedly orchestrated. He is currently detained at Beur Central Jail.
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