The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) announced on Saturday the arrest of three individuals—Sanjeet Kumar, Md Irshad, and Tapas Ghosh—in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged land scam involving Bhanu Pratap Prasad and others. This case falls under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The arrested individuals are accused of forgery and tampering with land records, thereby altering the status of lands designated as non-saleable under the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act (CNT Act). This act aims to protect land rights for tribal and marginalized communities. The ED’s statement indicated that government officials from the land revenue departments in Ranchi and Kolkata have also been implicated in the scam. Kumar and Ghosh were identified as contractual employees at the Registrar of Assurances in Kolkata.
The investigation has reportedly revealed that some of the lands obtained through these fraudulent activities are allegedly in the illegal possession of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The ED has initiated its probe based on multiple FIRs filed by Jharkhand and Kolkata Police against various individuals, including government officials.
According to the ED, a land mafia operating in Jharkhand has been tampering with land records in both Ranchi and Kolkata. It is alleged that original land ownership records have been falsified or hidden to facilitate unlawful acquisition and sale of land parcels based on these forged documents.
The agency has previously conducted 55 searches and nine surveys related to this case, leading to the seizure of incriminating evidence, including forged seals from the Land Revenue Department and fake land deeds. The ED reported recovering Rs1.27 crore in cash and freezing bank accounts totaling Rs3.56 crore in value.
Additionally, the ED has provisionally attached land parcels with a commercial value of approximately Rs266 crore. To date, a total of 25 individuals have been arrested, and the agency has filed three Prosecution Complaints related to this land scam, with further investigations ongoing.