ED raids in J'khand, West Bengal in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided a dozen locations in West Bengal and Jharkhand as part of a money laundering probe into alleged use of forged papers for sale of defence land in these states, officials said.

The federal agency searched about eight locations in Ranchi and adjoining areas, besides multiple places in Kolkata including the premises linked to arrested businessman Amit Agarwal.

The ruling UPA in the state, however, decried the raids saying they were conducted only to topple the Hemant Soren government.

Some real estate dealers, private persons and linked entities were searched by ED teams, they said.

An ED official said employees working under Agarwal were also being questioned.

''At Agarwal’s office in Nonapukur in the southern part of Kolkata, two close associates of the businessperson were questioned for over an hour to find out if he has any other property in West Bengal apart from the places that we have raided,'' he said. The official said that searches were conducted at the office of another businessperson, who is closely associated with Agarwal, in the posh Salt Lake area.

''We started conducting raids from 6.40 am today. Searches are still underway. Our detectives are questioning employees of Agarwal inside his office. Some of our officers are looking for clues at Agarwal's apartment and his high-end vehicle,'' he told PTI. The probe stems from a Jharkhand Police FIR filed to investigate alleged use of forged papers in sale and purchase of defence land, they said.

Agarwal was arrested by the ED last month on charges of alleged conspiracy to ''trap'' Rajeev Kumar, a lawyer representing a petitioner in two PILs filed against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

This case also has links to the alleged illegal mining case being probed by the ED in which it recently summoned Soren and has arrested one of his aides and two others.

When contacted the spokesperson of the ruling JMM, Supriyo Bhattacharya told PTI “ED raids have now become a routine affair in Jharkhand. They are conducted with the only aim of toppling the Hemant Soren government. But we will overcome them successfully.” Congress, JMM's UPA partner, echoing him alleged that central probe agencies are being misused by the BJP-led government at the Centre to destabilise the UPA government in Jharkhand.

Hitting out at the safron party, Congress state president Rajesh Thakur told PTI, “It is evident that the NDA government at the Centre is using constitutional institutions for BJP's evil purposes''. Senior BJP leader Babulal Marandi claimed that the defence land scam was brought to the notice of the state government by him in June and August but no action was taken by it.

''I had given documentary evidences on the Bariatu defence land sale for which the ED conducted raids today but no action was taken,'' Marandi tweeted tagging the letters.

In another tweet he said ''Instead of taking action against tainted IAS Chhavi Ranjan involved in the land scam, you (CM) gave him an important post. If this investigation continues and reaches you, please don't say that you didn't know of it (the scam).'' In a letter to the state chief secretary in June, Marandi had expressed doubts over the manner in which 7.16 acres at Hehal here was sold allegedly after the intervention of the district administration and the then deputy commissioner. He had also alleged that another 4.5 acres were disposed in Morabadi here to benefit a particular person and sought action against those responsible under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The then Ranchi deputy commissioner Ranjan could not be contacted for his comments.