June 13th 2024.
The Enforcement Directorate has taken into custody a suspected broker who is believed to be involved in a case of money laundering linked to a land grab scheme involving former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and others. According to sources, the suspect, identified as Shekhar Prasad Mahto, also known as Sehkhar Kushwaha, was apprehended on Wednesday after being questioned at the agency's zonal office in Ranchi.
It is alleged that Mahto worked in collusion with the prime accused, former revenue department sub-inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad, to falsify government records and create a fake deed in order to illegally acquire a 4.83-acre land valued at Rs 22.61 crore in Ranchi. The Enforcement Directorate claims that Mahto was knowingly involved in activities related to the proceeds of crime, which were obtained through illegal means such as forgery and tampering with government records.
During his appearance before a special court the following day, the ED requested for Mahto's custody in order to investigate the source and trail of the proceeds of crime involved in the case. The agency also stated that they needed to identify other beneficiaries who may have been involved in these illicit activities. So far, more than 25 people, including Hemant Soren, IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, and Bhanu Pratap Prasad, have been arrested in connection with this investigation.
The ED has attached land parcels worth Rs 266 crore, including multiple plots in the Bargain area of Ranchi, which were allegedly acquired illegally by Soren. They have also filed four charge sheets, with the most recent one being submitted on June 7. In a separate development, the agency informed the Jharkhand High Court that Soren played a key role in the illegal occupation of land in the Bargain area.
Soren, who is also the executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, had filed for bail in May after being arrested by the ED in January. He has denied all charges of land-grabbing and claims that the money laundering case is a result of political vendetta by the BJP-led Central government. However, the ED maintains that there is a larger network of land mafia operating in Jharkhand, involved in the illegal tampering and concealment of land records in Ranchi and Kolkata. They allege that this allows them to sell these lands to other individuals based on forged records.
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