The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday mounted search operations at premises across four states — Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand and Karnataka — in connection with the investigation into a petrol-bomb attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) regional office in Ranchi on June 17, officials said.
Searches under PMLA to trace alleged money flows
ED's Delhi zonal unit conducted the action under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which empowers authorised officers to carry out searches and seizures aimed at locating proceeds of crime and documentary evidence. Officials said the searches are intended to uncover possible illegal financial transactions linked to persons accused in the case.
The predicate offence for the ED inquiry is a National Investigation Agency (NIA) case that took over the probe into the petrol-bomb attack on the RSS office at Nivaranpur in Ranchi in the early hours of June 17. Two persons allegedly hurled makeshift petrol bombs fashioned from chilli-sauce bottles at the premises around 12:30 am, causing minor flames that subsided without major damage or injuries.
Accused and alleged links under scrutiny
According to the investigative timeline provided by officials, the NIA arrested local suspects identified as Saif Ansari and Aman Ansari. The agency's probe reportedly uncovered alleged connections between the arrested individuals and Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH), described in case records as having received support from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Investigators allege that the suspects were radicalised during visits to Dubai and maintained contact with handlers using encrypted messaging applications, prompting the NIA to classify the matter as one with transnational links. The ED's searches aim to map any monetary flows that may have facilitated the alleged activities.
Concurrent ED action in Haryana mentioned in reports
Media accounts of the day also referred to separate ED searches being conducted at multiple properties linked to businessman and former Union Minister of State for Haryana Gopal Goyal Kanda in connection with a distinct alleged money-laundering matter amounting to ₹248.46 crore. Those searches, reported to be underway in Gurugram, were described as part of a separate inquiry by ED's Gurugram unit and are not directly tied to the Ranchi incident in the case records cited by officials.
What authorities say and legal basis
Officials emphasised that the ED's operations are being executed under the procedural framework of the PMLA, and that searches were authorised to locate documents, electronic records and other material that could establish proceeds of crime and trace transactions. The NIA remains the investigating agency for the underlying terror-related case.
- Incident date: June 17; petrol-bomb attack at RSS regional office, Nivaranpur, Ranchi.
- Primary agencies: NIA (investigation of attack); ED (money-laundering probe under PMLA).
- Individuals named: Saif Ansari and Aman Ansari (arrested in NIA probe); Gopal Goyal Kanda (separate ED searches reported).
Investigating agencies routinely rely on coordinated searches across jurisdictions to secure documentary and digital evidence. In matters where an NIA investigation is the predicate offence, the ED may invoke PMLA provisions to examine the financial dimensions of alleged criminal networks, officials said.
Authorities have not released comprehensive details about any recoveries or seizures made during the Thursday operations. Case files with the NIA and ED are subject to court supervision and legal procedure; agencies typically file formal attachments or prosecution complaints as investigations progress.
Local impact and next steps
For Jharkhand residents and political actors, the twin threads of a terror-related probe and a money-laundering inquiry underscore the multi-agency posture taken by central agencies when alleged local offences indicate possible external financing or organised support. The NIA's classification of the Ranchi attack as linked to a proscribed organisation will determine the nature of charges and the trajectory of the prosecution.
Officials said further updates will be released as the agencies complete searches, catalogue seized material and examine electronic records. Any movement towards formal charges under the PMLA or disclosure of additional accused will follow established legal processes.
