Ranchi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) took major action on Thursday in connection with the petrol bomb attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) office in Ranchi in June. As part of a money-laundering investigation, ED teams conducted searches at several locations in Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand and Karnataka.

According to officials, the action was carried out by the ED’s Delhi Zone team under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency’s investigation is linked to the case registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is investigating the attack on the RSS office located in Ranchi’s Nivaranpur area.

Investigating agencies are now also examining alleged financial transactions and funding aspects in the case. The ED is trying to determine whether any suspicious funds had reached people linked to the attack and, if so, what their source was.

Officials said that the ED investigation has also brought up an angle involving an alleged money-laundering network linked to Pakistan-based Shahzad Bhatti. The agency is investigating the suspected financial network, transactions and the role of people associated with it in this connection.

The NIA began investigating the case after the petrol bomb attack on the RSS office. With the ED now entering the investigation, the focus has also expanded to the alleged financial network and flow of funds.

The simultaneous action in four states is being seen as an expansion of the investigation. However, detailed information on what was recovered during the searches and how many people were questioned is yet to be released by the investigating agencies.