VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Nov 5: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) suspects that the builder and businessman Vishnu Agrawal encroached on several other valuable land of the Indian Army in Ranchi for his commercial ventures.
Well placed sources confided that during the raid on Friday the agency seized several land documents and it is suspected that similar modus operandi was applied to grab army land elsewhere as seen in the case of Indian Army land at Bariatu. He is the owner of Nucleus Malls in Ranchi.
The alleged grab of 4.55 acres of land of the Indian Army at Bariatu in Ranchi is just a tip of the iceberg. The investigation of this case by the ED has hinted that ownership of many other land of the army was fraudulently changed in favour of private persons and then sold out.
Well placed sources in the agency have said that they got inputs and documents hinting to a mega land scam where the land of the Indian Army and private persons were fraudulently sold and purchased.
In connection with the Bariatu land case, the ED on Friday carried out raids against Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agrawal, Vishnu Agrawal, two sub registrars namely Baibhav Mani Tripathi and Ghashi Ram Pingua besides seller Pradeep Bagachi. While the connection of builder and businessman Vishnu Agrawal in Bariatu land is under investigation it is widely believed that Vishnu Agrawal and Amit Agrawal had planned to construct apartments and a banquet hall here.
“Certain documents have been seized and procured related to sale and purchase of land under occupation of Indian Army and private persons. The possibility of documents of these lands fabricated and interpolated can’t be ruled so that the sale and purchase look genuine. Investigation is going on and cases of similar nature will be investigated,” sources said.
The possibility can’t be ruled out that the deputy commissioner and concerned revenue officials of the corresponding period posted in Ranchi will be called and questioned by the ED in the coming days.
Vishnu Agrawal who is originally a native of Jhalda in Bengal has an old history of securing disputed land deals. In February 2018, he purchased a land measuring 3.75 acres from Mahua Mitra and Sanjay Kumar Ghosh and paid Rs. 24. 37 Crore. This is a prime land located at Siramtoli Chowk and the land is under occupation of Indian Army. Similarly, he had purchased 9.3 acres Khashmahal land at Kugru. Documents of the land were forged and an inquiry was ordered.
Babulal Marandi alleges mega land scam in Ranchi, demands judicial inquiry
Meanwhile, BJP leader Babulal Marandi launched a fresh attack on Hemant Soren. He alleged that a criminal syndicate of land mafias, brokers and bureaucrats looted land in Ranchi in an organized way. He said that the land scam in Ranchi is not less than Rs 10000 Crore in the last two years. He said that the entire world has come to know about the corrupt nature of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
“But manipulating on such a large scale is not within your control alone. It is requested that under the leadership of a sitting judge of the Hon’ble High Court, the Ranchi mega land scam and criminal conspiracy should be investigated,” Marandi said.
