SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, Aug. 1: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has said that businessman Bishnu Kumar Agarwal, owner of Nucleus Mall, is habitually involved in activities related to acquisition of lands in fraudulent and illegal manner in connivance with highly placed government officials, including the then Deputy Commissioner-cum-Registrar of Ranchi, Chhavi Ranjan.
Chhavi Ranjan is presently languishing in judicial custody for his involvement in facilitating Amit Kumar Agarwal in the fraudulent acquisition of land belonging to Defence.
The agency had arrested Agarwal yesterday and produced him in the special court today seeking his seven days’ remand for custodial interrogation. The court sent him to jail and will take a call on the ED’s remand petition tomorrow.
Further, the ED investigation has revealed that Chhavi Ranjan has extended favours to Bishnu Kumar Agarwal in the fraudulent acquisition of at least 16 acres of land in Ranchi, including 1 acre at Cheshire Home Road, 9.30 acres at plot no. 908 and 5.883 acres, situated at M.S Plot no. 908, 851(P) and 910(P), Ward no. VI of Ranchi Municipality.
ED Assistant Director Deovrat Jha, in his petition, has said that Agarwal has close ties with Prem Prakash, who helped him in acquiring the 1-acre land. He had knowledge about the ownership/nature of the land still he acquired it with the connivance of Prem Prakash on the basis of fabricated papers, Jha added.
The ED investigation has established the link between Bishnu Agarwal and Chhavi Ranjan that they worked in an organised manner.
The evidence included several FaceTime/Whatsapp calls between Chhavi Ranjan and Bishnu Agarwal with disappearing mode turned on; Exchange of draft orders and confidential documents between Chhavi Ranjan and Bishnu Kumar Agarwal; Hotel booking and arrangement for the tours and stays of Chhavi Ranjan and others in five-star hotels; Exchange of messages between Chhavi Ranjan and Bishnu Kumar Agarwal including those of investigation conducted by ED.
“Chhavi Ranjan also shared resumes of his acquaintances with Bishnu Kumar Agarwal for the job,” the ED has stated.
The ED further said that Agarwal and Chhavi Ranjan are hand in glove with each other and the latter facilitated him by giving favourable orders causing loss to the government exchequer and manipulating the government records.
During investigation, it was also revealed that Agarwal fraudulently acquired the property measuring 5.883 acres, situated at ward no. VI of Ranchi Municipality, Ranchi which had been acquired by the Defence and had been in possession.
The ED investigation revealed that as per the Bihar Gazette, the land was acquired by the Indian Army in 1949. The register II, available in the records of the Land Revenue Department, Government of Jharkhand, shows that the above-said land is still in the possession of the army. Still, the land has been fraudulently acquired by Agarwal.
The ED has stated that a huge amount of proceeds of crime is involved in the instant case by manipulation of official records by showing dummy sellers and purchasers in the guise of forged/ bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crores.
The ED has sought Agarwal’s custodial interrogation on the ground that he is in possession of the proceeds of crime and is a party with other key persons as such, his custody is required to identify the role of other persons involved in this fraud.
It is also required to corroborate Agarwal with the incriminating documents and to identify other properties (immovable/movable) acquired from proceeds of crime by him.
Agarwal’s custody is also required to ascertain the trail of proceeds of crime involved in the present case and identify the beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime, the ED has stated.
