Confiscated 256 crores and BMW car; ED submits chargesheet against Hemant Soren in land scam case

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted the chargesheet against former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the Rs 600 crore land scam case. In the chargesheet, the ED named Hemant Sorent, Revenue Officer Bhanu Pratap Prasad and two other government officers as accused in the case.

The ED stated that the documents and the statements in the case confirmed that Hemant Soren was part of the land mafia and enjoyed the proceeds of the crime. Hemant Soren had resigned as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand soon after he was arrested in the case. The ED said that during the investigation, it found a 44-page file containing more information about the 8.86 acres of land owned by Soren from the office of Mr Pratap. The chargesheet also stated that Pratap used to refer to Hemant Soren as 'boss'.

Soren illegally occupied 8.86 acres of land in the Bargain region of Ranchi in 2011. The ED recently seized this property, which is now valued at Rs 31 crores. The ED also found that Soren occupied this land with the help of his close aides Ranjit Singh, Hilarius Kachhap and Rajkumar. Meanwhile, the agency found that Pratap had helped several people, including Hemant Soren, to occupy land illegally. The ED also attached photographs of two surveys conducted on the property in the charge sheet. It was also revealed that during the interrogation, Santhosh Munda, the caretaker of the property, revealed that Hemant Soren was the owner of the land.

The agency received crucial evidence against Soren from the phone of Binod Kumar, another accused in the case. This evidence was related to the construction of a new building on the land. However, Hemant Soren had said that he had no connection with the land and Binod Kumar. The ED further said that it has sufficient evidence to prove that Pratap had manipulated government documents in connection with the land grab. It also found diaries and messages on another accused's phone that showed financial transactions involving Bhanu Pratap.

The ED stated that it had recorded the statements of 33 witnesses and seized thousands of pages of documents regarding the transactions. It also seized Rs 36 lakhs and a BMW car from the residence of Hemant Soren. It had recently confiscated his illegal assets worth Rs 256 crore. At present, 16 people, including Hemant Soren, have been arrested in connection with land grabbing.

Meanwhile, Hemant Soren has denied the allegations against him. He alleged that the BJP was misusing the probe agencies to destabilise democratically elected governments.