Besides, the agency has summoned Suraj Pandit and Chandan as well who are the drivers of Pankaj Mishra, the MLA representative of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The agency has directed them to appear on December 6 and the next day, respectively.
Well placed sources confirmed the development and said that the agency wants to quiz them regarding alleged misuse of power by some of the undertrials of the ED during the judicial custody, besides illegal stone mining case.
But the summon to Sharfuddin Khan was particularly important and it is widely believed that the agency wants to dig deep into how Pankaj Mishra was given a clean chit in the Barharwa toll plaza case. The ED had earlier recorded the statement of Sharfuddin Khan, and he is one of the witnesses of the ED.
Notably, ED chose to summon the investigating officer of the case at a time when the agency doubted whether Sahibganj police was trying to spoil the money laundering probe against Pankaj Mishra and others by weakening those police FIRs which the ED had taken up for investigation. It should be noted that the DIG of Dumka range rubbished the apprehensions of the ED and issued a detailed press release. The police said that Pankaj Mishra was given clean chit in two cases since allegations could not be proved.
The illegal stone mining investigation started after the ED took-up the Barharwa case (FIR 85/2020) lodged by a businessman Sambhu Nandan Prasad at Barharwa police Station in Sahibganj district dated on June 22, 2020. The FIR lodged under section 147/149/341/342/323/379/120B/504/506 of IPC against Pankaj Mishra, state minister Alamgir Alam and others. Sambhu Nandan Prasad stated that he was threatened by Pankaj Mishra and the minister over phone and was asked not to participate in the tender for Barharwa Toll.
On refusal he was attacked by a mob, on the behest of Pankaj Mishra. Months before the ED took up this case; Sahibganj police filed the chargesheet and gave a clean chit to Pankaj Mishra and the minister despite digital and other evidence. However, the complainant said that he came to know about clean chit much later and police kept him in the dark hence he could not take recourse to the available legal remedies.
During the investigation, the ED inquired from Sahibganj police to explain the ground on which Pankaj Mishra was given a clean chit. The voice sample of Pankaj Mishra was not taken to match whether the voice of the audio belonged to Pankaj Mishra.
Pankaj Mishra is the key cog of a whopping illegal stone mining case worth Rs 1000 Crore. It is alleged that after his arrest in July, he misused his power and proximity with the Chief Minister. There is a complaint regarding many other high profiles accused of the money laundering that they availed facilities beyond jail manuals.
The main allegation against Pankaj Mishra is that he used mobile phones during his custody period. He threatened witnesses, tried to tamper with evidence and spoke to district and state officials to pass them instructions.
Last month, the ED caught Suraj Pandit and Chandan Yadav who used to visit RIMS paying ward to meet Pankaj Mishra and provided their phone to their boss to make phone calls.
