VIJAY
Ranchi, Feb 23: The special PMLA court of Prabhat Kumar Sharma on Thursday granted five days police remand of Jharkhand government chief engineer Virendra Ram to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The agency stated that Virendra Ram has confessed that he used to receive 0.3 percent of the tender amount from the companies which were awarded the tenders, as commission.
In the remand note, the ED has stated that it is revealed from his statement as well as other witnesses that he played a pivotal role in managing the tenders and allocation of works to private entities and the percentage of commission is distributed in a mechanised manner up to higher ups of government, including highly placed bureaucrats and politicians. Further, during the investigation names of senior bureaucrats and politicians have emerged which is being investigated by the ED.
Further, he was using vehicles which were property of the companies/ contractors, some of them for more than two years, which established the quid pro quo.
“It is further submitted that certain highly placed officials/ politicians are involved in this nexus and the huge payments were usually received in cash which were later laundered which needs to be unearthed,” the ED has said.
In the remand petition, the ED has stated that the agency’s search operations were conducted at several premises related to Virendra Ram, CA Mukesh Mittal and their associates on February 2.
Virendra Ram approached Mukesh Mittal to manage his money
The ED stated that it recorded the statement of Mukesh Mittal who said that Virendra Ram approached him to manage his money for purchasing a property. He had approached Mukesh Mittal to provide entry into bank accounts of Genda Ram and for that Virendra Ram provided him cash of Rs.5 crores, against which CA Mukesh Mittal provided entries in the bank accounts of Genda Ram who is father of the accused. Investigation revealed that an amount of Rs. 4.48 crores was accumulated in the bank account of Genda Ram in the span of just one month which was utilized for the purpose of purchasing a property at posh locality in Delhi in the name of his father.
Father denies knowledge of any such huge credit
The ED in the remand petition stated that the statement of Genda Ram was also taken. Genda Ram denied knowledge of any such huge credit in his newly opened bank account.
Huge deposit in the bank account of wife Rajkumari Devi
Similarly, in the Canara Bank joint Account no. 2577214000002 of Rajkumari, amounts of Rs. 5.70 crores and Rs. 3.59 crores were credited into the aforementioned account from the bank accounts of two firms R K Investment and Consultancy and R P Investment and Consultancy respectively.
However, the proprietors of the said firms Rakesh Kumar Kedia and Reena Pal stated in their statements that Mukesh Mittal used to operate their accounts and they are not aware about those credits.
They have also stated that they neither know Rajkumari or Genda Ram, nor have they met them. The ED revealed Rajkumari utilized such sum for purchase of vehicles and immovable properties and it is also gathered that she has not even filed her ITR during these years of receipt of such amount in her bank accounts.
In her statement she could not explain the reason for such credit and stated that all such credits in her bank accounts will be explained by her husband.
ED discloses details of immovable properties of Virendra Ram
He purchased two duplexes in Jamshedpur in 2003 and 2019. He purchased a plot at Pithoria in Ranchi in 2006-07. A plot was purchased in the name of his father at Chhatarpur in 2023. In 2015 and 2019 he purchased two joint housing properties along with his wife at Saket (D Block) and Defense Colony in New Delhi.
Seven SUVs purchased in name of family and others
During the course of investigation and searches following movable vehicles were found which were purchased in the name of his family members and others including his son Ayush Rapson, wife, besides one Panamati Devi, Ankit Sahu and Rajesh Kumar Construction Pvt Ltd.
Cash and jewelry recovered
The ED has stated that during the course of searches, cash amount to the tune of Rs. 40 lakhs and jewellery to the tune of Rs 1.51 Crore were recovered from residential premises of Virendra Ram.
The ED stated that he has committed an offence under section 3 of PMLA, 2002 and he was actually and knowingly involved in the laundering, acquiring, concealment, layering and projecting proceeds of crime in the form of immovable and movable properties in his own name and in the name of his family members as untainted.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday intervening night arrested billionaire chief engineer of Jharkhand government Virendra Ram after 48 hours of questioning.
