Express News Service
RANCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agrawal and his associate Dilip Ghosh from Kolkata on Wednesday night in connection with the Army land scam which took place in Ranchi. Eight persons, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, were arrested earlier in the case.
Later, ED produced both the accused persons before a Special PMLA court in Ranchi and sought five days’ remand for them. ED’s petition, however, is still pending in the court and is likely to be heard on Friday.
“Both Agrawal and Ghosh were produced before the court on Thursday and sent into judicial custody. ED has sought five-day remand for them, which is still pending in the court,” said EDs advocate Shiv Kumar Kaka. Arguments on the matter of remand will be discussed on Friday, he added. ED’s action is related to the fraudulent sale and purchase of 4.55 acres of land occupied by the army at Bariatu Road in Ranchi.
The accused, Amit Agrawal, along with the then Ranchi DC Chhavi Ranjan, forged documents to grab a costly land in Ranchi under the possession of the Indian Army. Earlier in the morning, the ED sleuths searched Agarwal’s house in Kolkata but did not find him there. The ED called him and Ghosh in for questioning before the Ranchi zonal office. They were arrested from Kolkata after a long interrogation.
The transfer of several pieces of prime lands had been questioned earlier by the then Divisional Commissioner Nitin Madan Kulkarni in his report sent to the state government. The revenue department, however, is said to have turned a blind eye to all these reports.
The inquiry set up by Kulkarni has stated that 4.55 acres of land in Ranchi are currently under the possession of the Indian Army, but owned by Jayant Karnad, who fraudulently sold out to Dilip Ghosh. The inquiry was ordered in the wake of a complaint lodged by the national general secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Anusuchit Jati Mahasabha, Upendra Kumar in November 2021.
Kolkata-based Dilip Ghosh is the director of Jagatbandhu Tea Estate Private Limited. It was learnt that he had a close connection in Jharkhand’s power portal. Notably, Amit Agrawal was arrested by ED earlier in October this year for hatching a conspiracy to trap Jharkhand High Court Advocate Rajiv Kumar, a lawyer representing a petitioner in two PILs filed against several high-ups, including Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
Agrawal is currently on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court. It is alleged that the Jharkhand HC has advocated for Rajeev Kumar to file a PIL in Jharkhand High Court against Agrawal and was said to be asking Rs 10 crore to withdraw the PIL filed in Jharkhand High Court.
After negotiations, he allegedly settled at Rs 1 crore for which the first installment of Rs 50 lakh was paid and he was caught red-handed with it by Kolkata police and arrested on July 31. Later ED arrested Amit Agrawal and told an ED court in Ranchi that he had created a “facade” and “hatched” a criminal conspiracy to “trap” Rajeev Kumar.
RANCHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agrawal and his associate Dilip Ghosh from Kolkata on Wednesday night in connection with the Army land scam which took place in Ranchi. Eight persons, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, were arrested earlier in the case.
Later, ED produced both the accused persons before a Special PMLA court in Ranchi and sought five days’ remand for them. ED’s petition, however, is still pending in the court and is likely to be heard on Friday.
“Both Agrawal and Ghosh were produced before the court on Thursday and sent into judicial custody. ED has sought five-day remand for them, which is still pending in the court,” said EDs advocate Shiv Kumar Kaka. Arguments on the matter of remand will be discussed on Friday, he added. ED’s action is related to the fraudulent sale and purchase of 4.55 acres of land occupied by the army at Bariatu Road in Ranchi.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
The accused, Amit Agrawal, along with the then Ranchi DC Chhavi Ranjan, forged documents to grab a costly land in Ranchi under the possession of the Indian Army. Earlier in the morning, the ED sleuths searched Agarwal’s house in Kolkata but did not find him there. The ED called him and Ghosh in for questioning before the Ranchi zonal office. They were arrested from Kolkata after a long interrogation.
The transfer of several pieces of prime lands had been questioned earlier by the then Divisional Commissioner Nitin Madan Kulkarni in his report sent to the state government. The revenue department, however, is said to have turned a blind eye to all these reports.
The inquiry set up by Kulkarni has stated that 4.55 acres of land in Ranchi are currently under the possession of the Indian Army, but owned by Jayant Karnad, who fraudulently sold out to Dilip Ghosh. The inquiry was ordered in the wake of a complaint lodged by the national general secretary of Akhil Bhartiya Anusuchit Jati Mahasabha, Upendra Kumar in November 2021.
Kolkata-based Dilip Ghosh is the director of Jagatbandhu Tea Estate Private Limited. It was learnt that he had a close connection in Jharkhand’s power portal. Notably, Amit Agrawal was arrested by ED earlier in October this year for hatching a conspiracy to trap Jharkhand High Court Advocate Rajiv Kumar, a lawyer representing a petitioner in two PILs filed against several high-ups, including Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
Agrawal is currently on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court. It is alleged that the Jharkhand HC has advocated for Rajeev Kumar to file a PIL in Jharkhand High Court against Agrawal and was said to be asking Rs 10 crore to withdraw the PIL filed in Jharkhand High Court.
After negotiations, he allegedly settled at Rs 1 crore for which the first installment of Rs 50 lakh was paid and he was caught red-handed with it by Kolkata police and arrested on July 31. Later ED arrested Amit Agrawal and told an ED court in Ranchi that he had created a “facade” and “hatched” a criminal conspiracy to “trap” Rajeev Kumar.
