Jharkhand tribal land scam: ED searches nine sites in Ranchi, Delhi

Ranchi — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted extensive searches across nine locations in Ranchi and Delhi in connection with a large-scale tribal land scam.

Officials confirmed that the crackdown covered six sites in Ranchi and three in the national capital. Several teams were tasked with seizing property deeds, financial statements, and digital records tied to real estate agents, builders, and intermediaries allegedly part of the scheme.

In Ranchi, the ED raided prime areas such as Kanke Resort, Sukhdev Nagar on Ratu Road, Kadru, Bariatu, and Ashok Nagar. Meanwhile, in Delhi, searches were held at places linked to powerful land brokers and their associates.

The case centers around Chama Mouza in Kanke block, where tribal land was allegedly transformed into commercial plots using forged papers before being sold at inflated prices. Investigators believe the money generated was later laundered to appear as legal earnings.

Those named in the probe include alleged land mafia Kamlesh Kumar Singh and Kanke Resort owner B.K. Singh. Their close associates, including facilitators of property deals and documentation, also came under ED’s scanner.

This is the second round of action in the matter. Earlier, on July 10, 2024, ED teams had verified disputed land under the Chotanagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act and recorded testimonies of locals.

The ongoing searches are being carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), with investigators suspecting the use of forged documents and fake revenue records to grab tribal land and channel the proceeds through real estate investments.

With inputs from IANS