Money laundering probe: ED makes fresh arrest in Jal Jeevan Mission case

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has made a fresh arrest in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme being implemented in Rajasthan. Padamchand Jain, proprietor of Shree Shyam Tubewell Company, was taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Jaipur on Thursday. He was produced before a special court in Jaipur on Friday and was sent to the ED custody until June 18, the federal agency said in a statement. The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) launched by the Union government aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through household tap connections and it is being implemented in Rajasthan by the state's Public Health Engineering (PHE) department. A man named Piyush Jain was the first to be arrested in this case by the federal agency in February. "Padamchand Jain was involved in securing tenders pertaining to JJM works based on purported fake and fabricat