ED files chargesheet in Jharkhand land fraud money-laundering case; attaches assets worth Rs 74.39 Cr

Ranchi/New Delhi, Jun 12 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed its first chargesheet before a special court in Ranchi on Monday in the Jharkhand land fraud case, in which it has so far arrested 10 people, including IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan.

The federal agency issued a statement, saying it has also provisionally attached two land parcels bearing a commercial value of Rs 74.39 crore in connection with the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

While one land parcel of 4.55 acres is located in the Bariatu area of state capital Ranchi (commercial value Rs 41.51 crore), the second immovable property measuring 7.16 acres is located in the Bajra area of the city (commercial value Rs 32.87 crore).

“These land parcels have been mutated fraudulently in favour of the land mafia in connivance with the officers of the land revenue department. The first land parcel was earlier in the name of the Army,” the ED said.

A prosecution complaint (chargesheet) was filed on June 12, it added.

The agency has arrested a total of 10 people, including 2011-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Ranjan, who earlier served as the director of the state social welfare department and the deputy commissioner of Ranchi.

It has also arrested a former employee of the land revenue department, Bhanu Pratap Prasad, in the case. All the accused are in judicial custody.

The money-laundering case stems from an FIR lodged by the state police on the basis of a complaint from the Ranchi Municipal Corporation against one Pradip Bagchi.

The alleged fraud pertains to a “racket of the land mafia” that is active in Jharkhand and that used to “forge legacy records” in Kolkata and Ranchi, the ED said.

The agency alleged that on the basis of forged land records, such land parcels were sold to other people.

The ED said a total of 41 searches and five surveys were carried out by it as part of the investigation and its sleuths have seized “forged” seals of the land revenue department, land deeds, records of distribution of the “proceeds of crime”, apart from some photographs depicting this alleged forgery, “evidence” of giving bribe to government officials etc.

The agency said it has also “shared” the evidence found against Prasad with the Jharkhand government and the Ranchi Police has registered an FIR against the former state government employee on the basis of it.

The ED said it had also obtained orders from a special PMLA court for sending the original records of the registrar of assurance, Kolkata and the land revenue department of Ranchi to a forensic science laboratory in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar.

A forensic examination “proved” the forgery in the records and based on the evidence collected by the ED, the registrar of assurance, Kolkata filed an FIR at the Hare Street police station (Kolkata) and this complaint was “merged” with the money-laundering case for a “comprehensive investigation”, it said.