Jharkhand RWD scam: ED files fifth charge sheet, 14 engineers named

Ranchi — The Directorate of Enforcement has filed its fifth supplementary charge sheet in the Jharkhand Rural Works Department (RWD) money laundering case before a special PMLA court in Ranchi, naming 14 engineers and officials as fresh accused.

Filed under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the latest charge sheet takes the total number of accused in the case to 36. The case stems from an FIR registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Jamshedpur under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

According to the ED, its probe has uncovered a well-organised bribery network within the RWD, the Rural Development Special Zone (RDSZ), and the Jharkhand State Rural Road Development Authority (JSRRDA). Investigators allege that a fixed commission of around 3 per cent of the total tender value was collected from contractors in exchange for awarding projects.

The agency claimed the commission was distributed through a structured chain — with a portion allegedly routed to former minister Alamgir Alam via his personal secretary Sanjeev Kumar Lal, while other shares went to senior departmental officials and engineers.

The ED estimates that against total tender allocations of about Rs 3,048 crore, the proceeds of crime exceed Rs 90 crore.

Among those newly named are several retired and serving engineers, including former chief engineers, executive engineers, assistant engineers, and a former engineer-in-chief. The agency said its investigation established their roles in collecting, aggregating, and transferring illicit funds.

So far, the ED has conducted 52 searches across Jharkhand, Delhi, and Bihar, and arrested nine individuals in connection with the case. Alam, his personal secretary Lal, and associate Jahangir Alam are currently in judicial custody.

The agency has also issued three provisional attachment orders, seizing assets worth around Rs 44 crore, along with cash amounting to nearly Rs 38 crore and multiple luxury vehicles.

Earlier, one main charge sheet and four supplementary charge sheets had already been filed, all of which have been taken cognisance of by the court.

With inputs from IANS