The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Pramod Kumar Singh, former accounts manager of the Primary Health Centre in Jharia (Dhanbad), on Tuesday night in connection with a Rs9.39 crore money laundering case linked to the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
The illegal withdrawals were allegedly made using Singh’s and another official’s surnames — notably Sashibhushan Prasad — between March 2012 and June 2026. Authorities suspect a long-term pattern of misappropriating government funds.
Singh was produced before the special PMLA court in Ranchi on Wednesday. The court granted the ED three days of custodial interrogation, although the agency had sought a seven-day remand. Singh has been lodged at Birsa Munda Central Jail for the day.
The case was originally investigated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Ranchi and Dhanbad, with disproportionate assets cases registered against Singh. The ED later took over and filed an FIR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) earlier this year.
Despite being served 12 summons, Singh failed to appear before ED officers. A bailable warrant was subsequently issued by the court.
He eventually appeared at the Ranchi ED office on Tuesday to record his statement. He was taken into custody around 10 PM.
Singh’s alleged involvement in the embezzlement of health funds — meant for rural healthcare under the NRHM — adds to growing concerns over systemic corruption in public health financing.
Further investigation is underway to determine the full extent of the fraud and any additional conspirators.
