Ranchi: According to individuals with knowledge, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing an alleged land scam in Jharkhand that led to the arrest and eventual release of chief minister Hemant Soren, has discovered that the mafia took possession of 1,800 acres of tribal land that could not be sold by creating false records to alter the property’s status.
According to the sources, the federal agency has been alerted about several land-grabbing complaints and has discovered ₹3,000 crore in illicit proceeds.
The case involves the purported acquisition of valuable land parcels that have been marked as non-saleable under the Chota Nagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act. This legislation aims to safeguard the land rights of marginalized and tribal communities. The alleged theft of these parcels occurred through the use of fictitious deeds created with false identities and land records at circle offices, registrar of assurances (RoA) in Kolkata, and circle offices in Jharkhand.
“After we intervened and arrested prominent figures like Soren as well as a number of bureaucrats and middlemen, we continued to receive similar reports of land grabbing. During the investigation, we discovered that the mafia handled 1,800 acres of land similarly. According to estimates from our team, there are ₹3,000 crore in total proceeds from crime,” an ED officer said, seeking anonymity.
The officer continued, “We are confirming all of the complaints and conducting additional investigation.”
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