Ranchi, July 11: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated the process of attaching the properties of individuals accused in the alleged ₹500-crore Bokaro land scam after receiving approval from its Adjudicating Authority under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The Ranchi Zonal Office of the agency will now proceed with the attachment of assets believed to have been acquired through proceeds of crime.
The ED’s investigation, launched on the basis of a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR, alleges that a large-scale land fraud involving government forest land generated illegal proceeds exceeding ₹500 crore.
Investigators claim that forged documents, shell companies and manipulated land records were used to convert protected forest land into private ownership before it was sold to buyers.
According to the agency, the alleged mastermind of the scam, Shailesh Kumar Singh, was arrested by the CBI earlier this week.
The ED alleges that he orchestrated a network that facilitated the illegal transfer and sale of government land through fictitious entities, resulting in substantial financial gains.
The investigation has uncovered several alleged irregularities in land records.
Officials claim that the name of the original landholder was removed from government records through chemical alteration and replaced with the names of other individuals.
The ED also alleges that land mutation was approved within 14 days without mandatory field verification by the concerned forest authorities.
Investigators further claim to have traced the movement of suspected bribe money into bank accounts linked to the accused.
The agency alleges that a company registered in the names of the accused’s son and an employee was used to legitimise ownership of the disputed land and facilitate financial transactions.
During searches, the ED reportedly recovered 19 signed blank cheques, which it believes are linked to the alleged money laundering operation.
The probe has also highlighted discrepancies in property registrations.
According to the ED, official sale deeds reflected only the government valuation of the land, while a significantly higher amount was allegedly exchanged in cash.
In one instance, land with an official valuation of ₹2.5 lakh was reportedly sold for ₹22.5 lakh.
The agency has also questioned the authenticity of historical land ownership documents relied upon during the transactions.
It claims that some auction-related records contained factual inconsistencies and that certain documents could not be verified through official records.
With the approval of the Adjudicating Authority, the ED is expected to intensify efforts to identify and attach properties allegedly purchased using proceeds of the suspected land scam.
The investigation remains ongoing, and further legal action may follow based on the evidence collected.
The allegations are based on the findings of investigating agencies. The accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
