Koda in hospital, sleuths in town to question him

Ranchi, Nov 4 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is to quiz Madhu Koda over allegations of a Rupees 2,500-crore scam, has asked Apollo Hospital for a report on the health status of the former Jharkhand chief minister who was admitted there Tuesday after he complained of a stomach ache.

The ED has also asked the hospital management not to discharge the Lok Sabha MP without informing them.

On Tuesday night, the ED sent a letter to Apollo Hospital seeking a health status report of Koda and the problems he is suffering from.

"We have received a letter from the Enforcement Directorate and we will submit the report today to ED regarding the health status of Madhu Koda. His condition is stable," Apollo Hospital spokesperson Javed Akhtar told IANS.

Koda was admitted to Apollo Hospital Tuesday after he complained of stomach ache, vomiting and high blood pressure. His test reports are said to be normal.

An ED team has arrived in Ranchi to interrogate Koda. According to informed sources, Koda was served notice by ED officials summoning him for interrogation.

On Saturday, the Income Tax and ED started searches at 70 places in eight Indian cities against Koda and his associates, Vinod Kumar Sinha and Sanjay Chaudhary.

The IT has found illegal transactions of Rs.2,500 crore, including Rs.550 crore sent to foreign countries like Dubai, Thailand, Malaysia and other countries through hawala or illegal routes. Koda is charged with amassing wealth beyond his known sources of income.

An Income Tax team met Jharkhand Governor K. Shankarnarayan Tuesday and informed him of the IT and ED raids and the role of state government officials in allegedly siphoning off money from government treasuries.

--IANS