Thaindian News

Ranchi, June 27 (IANS) A court here Saturday issued arrest warrants against former Jharkhand ministers Enos Ekka and Harinarayan Rai, who have been accused of graft.
The warrants were issued by the special vigilance court of Vinay Kant Khan on a plea by the vigilance department Friday.

While investigating the case against the duo, the vigilance department found that Ekka had assets worth Rs.3.73 crore (over Rs.37 million) more than his known sources of income and Rai had assets worth Rs.1.16 crore more than his known income, a vigilance official said.

The duo have gone underground ever since the department sought their arrest.

In November last year, a case was lodged against the former ministers by the vigilance department on the directive of the vigilance court under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The charges against the two in the first information report include swindling government funds, illegally amassing wealth and conspiracy.

The vigilance court had directed the department to file the charges when it heard a petition by Vinod Kumar, a resident of Jharkhand’s Deoghar district last year. In his petition, Vinod Kumar had alleged that Ekka and Rai had amassed wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income since they became legislators and later ministers in 2005.

Both had submitted the details of their assets and sources of income to the vigilance department in February. The department questioned the two and even conducted searches at their houses

–Indo-Asian news Service

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