SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, May 8: With suspended IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan continuing to evade the ED questions on his nexus with power broker Prem Prakash and businessman Amit Agarwal, the agency will rely on the documentary and electronic evidence to establish his nexus with the duo and other players instrumental in committing a multi-crore land scam in Ranchi.
Ranjan, who was grilled by the ED for the second day on Monday, maintained his stand that he did not know them. “But we have concrete evidence to corroborate his role in the scam. So, we are not going to ask such questions again. He will not get any fresh opportunity on this issue further. We have moved to other issues,” said an ED source.
However, the land brokers, including Imtiaz Ahmed who were questioned separately today have divulged that they were involved in creating fake papers. They were not confronted with Chhavi Ranjan as they were working at the ground level and not expected to get in direct touch with the then DC.
Ranjan, a 2011 batch IAS officer and presently under custody of the ED, was deputy commissioner of Ranchi from July 15, 2020, to July 11, 2022.
“How can he deny the scam that happened in his full knowledge? It is obvious that he was deliberately concealing the facts,” maintained an ED source. In fact, his non-cooperation is not unexpected as that was the reason the ED arrested the IAS officer.
The ED, according to sources, will establish his nexus with Prem Prakash and Amit Agrawal and why he was following their instructions. “When the whole of Jharkhand knows them, it is naïve on the part of a deputy commissioner to say that he did not know them (Prem Prakash and Amit Agarwal),” maintained an ED official.
The ED, in its remand petition, has told the court the land brokers, including Afshar Ali, Pradip Bagchi and his accomplices prepared fake deed for 4.55 acres of Army land from the office of the Registrar of Assurances, Kolkata and in connivance with Chhavi Ranjan, Prem Prakash and Amit Kumar Agarwal hatched a conspiracy for registering the property in name of M/s Jagatbandhu Tea Estate Pvt. Ltd., a beneficially owned company by Amit Kumar Agarwal.
Chhavi Ranjan, then DC of Ranchi knowingly assisted these persons to acquire the above property by deliberately misusing his official position and overlooking the records available with his office, the ED has stated.
Ranjan is also said to have hatched a conspiracy with Amit Agarwal to get lawyer Rajiv Kumar trapped by the Kolkata police, sources added.
The ED has also said that Afshar Ali and Saddam Hussain visited the office of the then DC Chhavi Ranjan with a very close associate and confidant of Prem Prakash. “The said close confidant of Prem Prakash was acting on the instructions of Amit Kumar Agarwal and Prem Prakash. During meeting the Circle Officer of Bargai Anchal, Manoj Kumar was also present there. Chhavi Ranjan directed the said circle officer to get the claim of Pradip Bagchi verified from the Registrar of Assurances, Kolkata. Thus, the above important part of this entire conspiracy was hatched in the office of the present accused Chhavi Ranjan,” the ED has stated.
Meanwhile, businessman Bishnu Agrawal, who appeared before the ED was let off today as he pleaded that he had undergone some surgery recently and was not feeling well. “A fresh summons will be issued soon,” said an ED source.
Chhavi Ranjan is said to have verbally directed Circle officer, Manoj Kumar to do mutation of one property of 1 acre at Chesire home road in name of Bishnu Agarwal and his wife Anushree Agarwal although there were existing disputes pending before the Circle office. He had also facilitated Bishnu Agarwal in acquiring one non-saleable land at Pugru Mouza, Namkum, Ranchi for which certain enquiries have also been ordered by the state government.