Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate this evening, minutes after quitting the post. Transport minister Champai Soren, one of the veteran leaders of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, will step into his shoes. Later in the evening, Mr Soren was formally arrested after being taken to the ED office.

Hemant Soren was taken into custody in connection with an alleged land scam, minutes after meeting the governor and handing in his resignation.

Sources said he had discussed the matter with the officials, declaring that he would sign the arrest memo only after stepping down. The ED Officials then took him to meet the Governor. A Chief Minister can be arrested under the anti-money laundering rules if he evades summons thrice.

Mr Soren, after evading the Enforcement Directorate over the weekend, had agreed to be questioned by the Central agency this afternoon. His statement was recorded during the questioning.

Shortly after his arrest, Mr Soren posted some Hindi verses on X, formerly Twitter. Their rough translation read:

The former Chief Minister, who had evaded seven summons for questioning in an alleged money laundering case linked to the ₹ 600 crore land scam, was anticipating arrest for a while.