Ranchi, Nov. 6: The Enforcement Directorate today arrested Vikas Sinha, the brother of one of Madhu Koda’s closest aides who helped the former chief minister amass more than Rs 2,000 crore allegedly through hawala channels and illegal investments, thereby setting the stage for more arrests in the high-profile money laundering case.

Vikas, younger brother of Vinod Sinha, was arrested today after being interrogated for several hours for his role in facilitating Koda’s alleged dealings. He was detained by the ED yesterday evening at a Jamshedpur hospital.

The seven-storied IT department’s office in Ranchi was packed with lawyers and policemen when Vikas was arrested and produced before a special CBI court that also acts on behalf of the ED.

He was lodged in Birsa Munda jail after the court decided to hear the ED’s plea for a 10-day remand tomorrow.

Looking exhausted, Vikas said he was being forced to sign on incorrect statements. “I was even slapped. They have found nothing after (several) rounds of investigations. I will appeal in higher courts,” he said.

Vikas will be produced tomorrow before a local court where the ED will seek his police remand. He will then be sent to the ED’s regional headquarters in Patna.

ED deputy director Prabha Kant, who has been camping in the state capital for about a week, said investigating officers have also been on the lookout for Vinod Sinha and Sanjay Choudhury, two primary associates of Koda who were said to be the key men behind the various investments made by the former chief minister.

The ED has so far booked Koda, three of his former cabinet colleagues, Kamlesh Singh, Bhanu Pratap Shahi, Bandhu Tirkey, and several aides — like Vinod and Vikas Sinha, Sunil Sinha, Sanjay Chaudhury and Dhananjay Chaudhury — under the Money Laundering Act.

The deadline for Vinod and Sanjay to present themselves before the IT department expired today, forcing them to issue a “red corner” notice that would prevent them from leaving the country.

In fact, apart from Vikas, Vinod and Sanjay, others who are being pursued by the IT authorities for questioning, were Devendra Mukhiya, a Delhi-based fixer, Manoj Punamiya, a Mumbai-based hawala agent, Anil Bastwade, a businessman, and Basant Bhattacharya, a section officer in the state mines and geology department.

All of them had been asked to appear before the office of the additional director, income tax (investigation), Ranchi, by 11 am today.

Barring Bhattacharya, no one else came.

Kant said they may conduct a Narco test on Koda and his associates to ascertain specific details about their investments.

The former chief minister, who has been recuperating at Apollo Hospital in Ranchi, was better today. But since his blood pressure was fluctuating, hospital medical superintendent P.D. Sinha said his condition would be reviewed tomorrow.

IT additional director (investigation) Ajit Kumar Srivastava said they were overwhelmed with their findings that now indicated the scale of the fraud could be much higher that the early estimates of Rs 2,000 crore.

He said he met Koda yesterday evening at the hospital and was scheduled to meet him today too.