VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Sept 24: The Enforcement Directorate has told the Special court that it has frozen as many as four bank accounts of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s representative Pankaj Mishra containing Rs 83.98 lakh cash besides it seized a passbook and two cheque books issued in the name of Hemant Soren. When illegal mining was at its peak his bank accounts flooded with unaccounted cash.
In the prosecution complaint (equivalent to chargesheet), the ED has said that Mishra’s AC No. 50200062737102 in HDFC Bank contained Rs 4095622, cash worth Rs. 3338727 was found lying in his account AC No. 234201000004444 at Indian Overseas Bank. His SBI Account No 11466189461 contained Rs. 964554 whereas there was no money in his account at the Central bank of India.
Hemant Soren’s bank papers found in possession of Pankaj Mishra
The ED has said that during raid held at the premises of Pankaj Mishra on July 8 this year the agency recovered and seized one sealed envelope containing a passbook and two cheque books containing two signed cheques bearing nos. 004718 & 004719 and 31 blank cheques bearing no. from 0004720 all pertaining to A/c No. XXXXXXXX0003422 in the name of Hemant Soren held with Bank of India, Gangaprasad Branch in Sahibganj. The ED has not made any further comment or observation about this.
Over Rs 10 crore deposited in 10 bank accounts of Pankaj Mishra
The ED said that Pankaj Mishra owns as many as 10 bank accounts reflecting high value deposits through cash and other means. The agency presented an 11 years’ analysis of deposits in two sets—first deposit through cash, and second deposit through cheque and RTGS and others. The FY period 2012-13 to 2022-23 has been covered.
Through cash deposits from various sources Pankaj Mishra got Rs 1.60 crore and through other banking channels other than cash he got Rs. 86510204 which is Rs 8.65 Crore (approx) in these bank accounts. Thus, in the 10 years he got more than Rs 10 Crore through such deposits.
It has been seen that in the two consecutive financial years 2021-22 and 2022-23 the bank accounts of Pankaj Mishra had very high value deposits made through different banking channels other than cash. Deposits of Rs 45882780 (Rs. 4.58 Crore) were made in his HDFC (AC No 50200062737102), Tirupati branch of Bank of India (AC No. 4648201100000160) and Indian Overseas Bank account (AC No. 23420100000444) during FY 2021-22. In the next financial year two deposits totaling Rs. 15307340 (Rs. 1.53 Crore Approx) were made in his two bank accounts namely Bank of India and HDFC.
High deposits made through cash and other banking channels
Presenting some samples of high deposits, the ED said that in the Bank of India (AC No 464810110010546), Tirupati branch of Bank of India (AC No 4648201100000160), Central Bank of India (AC No. 2069485550), HDFC (AC No. 50200062737102), HDFC account (50100020015525), Indian Overseas Bank (AC No. 23420100000444) and three accounts at the State Bank of India namely AC No. 11466189461, 11462097062 and 11466053698 a total deposit of Rs. 8372407 was made.
ED names companies and individual
The ED has stated that Pankaj Mishra had a regular bank transaction with Bhagwan Bhagat, Hathua Construction, Ganpati Enterprises, Bhagwan Stone Works, Bhagwan Stones and Minerals, Jai Maa Ambay Traders, Shiv Shakti Sai and Balaji Enterprises.
Huge mismatch between what Pankaj Mishra earned and his ITR details
The ED has attached Income Tax Returns of Pankaj Mishra of FY 2015-16 till 2020-21 and the gross receipts declared by him in his ITR. The agency said that there is a gross mismatch between money he got and what he declared in his RTI. The total cash deposits and the bank transfers in no way matches with the income and receipts declared by him. He could not explain the source of the cash and the bank transfers. Thus, the aforesaid proceeds of crime have been acquired out of illegal activities relating to mining, extortion of levies and illegal transportation of stone chips.
Bhagwan Bhagat reveals Pankaj Mishra all got through illegal mining
When the ED asked Pankaj Mishra to explain high deposits made in one of the HDFC accounts, he claimed that he earned through trading of stone chips. But he had no documents and evidence for the same. His key associate and business partner Bhagwan Bhagat said that all these deposits are proceeds of crime. Pankaj Mishra forced him to be his business partner.
