Koda's aide Choudhary's passport revoked

The passport of Sanjay Choudhary, close aide of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, has been revoked as part of the investigations into the alleged multi-crore illegal investment and hawala racket involving the duo and some others.

Official sources said the passport was revoked recently after the Enforcement Directorate sought so based on the grounds that Choudhary, against whom a look out notice has been issued, is in hiding and is not making himself available for investigations despite numerous summons.

Sources said Choudhary, who is alleged to be the main money bag for Koda, is currently in Dubai after he left the country following the registration of money laundering charges against him. They said the Directorate is now likely to seek repatriation of Choudhary, who also has an arrest warrant issued against him by a Jharkhand Prevention of Money Laundering Act Court.

Choudhary is alleged to have handled the overseas operations of Koda. He along with another of Koda's aide Binod Sinha, also wanted by the ED and the Income Tax, are said to own two firms in Dubai. Sources said Choudhary has permanent residentship of Dubai and used to head the hawala and foreign investment operations.

Choudhary had been evading the ED and the Income Tax authorities ever since the case first came to light. Sources said it was only after a lookout notice was issued against Choudhary that the authorities realised he had fled to Dubai.

The ED had filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (equivalent to a FIR) against Koda and his associates, accusing them of amassing properties worth hundreds of crores including those in UAE, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Liberia. It had sent Letters Rogatory to several other countries as well.