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New Delhi:
The Enforcement Directorate, in their chargesheet, has alleged a web of corruption and manipulation in a Rs 600 crore land scam in which former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren is an accused. The chargesheet names Hemant Soren, revenue officer Bhanu Pratap Prasad, and two other government employees are accused.
Mr Soren is being investigated in connection with an alleged racket of illegal change of land ownership by the mafia in Jharkhand. He resigned as Jharkhand Chief Minister just before his arrest.
According to the chargesheet accessed by NDTV, statements and documents in the case confirmed that Hemant Soren was part of the ‘land mafia’ and enjoyed the proceeds of the crime.
During the probe, officials found a 44-page file in Mr Pratap’s office, containing crucial information regarding an 8.86-acre land owned by Hemant Soren. The chargesheet mentions that Mr Pratap used to refer to Mr Soren as ‘boss’.
Hemant Soren had illegally occupied the 8.86-acre land in the Bargain area of Ranchi since 2011, the agency claimed.
The property, now valued at Rs 31 crores, has been seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
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The occupation of this land allegedly occurred through Hemant Soren’s close aides Ranjit Singh, Hilarius Kachhap, and Rajkumar, as per ED’s findings.
According to ED, Bhanu Pratap was part of a syndicate altering government land documents to facilitate land grabs, with involvement from several government officials, including Hemant Soren.
ED included photos of two surveys conducted on the property, implicating Bhanu Pratap among the accused.
The caretaker of the property, Santosh Munda, affirmed its ownership under “Minister Ji”, referring to Hemant Soren.
A photo retrieved from accused Binod Kumar’s mobile revealed plans for constructing a bank hall on the property.
Hemant Soren, in his statement to ED, claimed ignorance regarding the property and remained tight-lipped about his chats with Binod.
Bhanu Pratap referred to Hemant Soren as his boss and orchestrated the land grab on the 8.86 acres, manipulating government records, the agency claims.
Diaries and messages on another accused’s phone show financial transactions involving Bhanu Pratap.
ED has collected statements from 33 witnesses and seized thousands of pages of documents.
From Hemant Soren’s residence in Delhi, Rs 36 lakh cash and a BMW car were confiscated.
ED has now seized properties worth Rs 256 crore rupees which were illegally seized by this ‘syndicate’.
So far, 16 accused have been arrested in connection with this case, including Hemant Soren and former Ranchi DC, IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan.
Mr Soren has denied the allegations against him and accused the BJP of abusing probe agencies to destabilise democratically elected governments.
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