ED to interrogate IAS Chhavi Ranjan in land scam on May 1, sought details of property

Ranchi (IANS) | The ED will interrogate IAS Chhavi Ranjan again on May 1 in connection with the purchase and sale of about four and a half acres of army land by making fake documents. On Monday, he was questioned for about ten and a half hours. During this, Chhavi Ranjan had to face a lot of trouble when the six accused already arrested in the land scam, during face-to-face interrogation, clearly said that he was the mastermind of the entire episode. However, Chhavi Ranjan denied his allegations.

According to ED sources, Chhavi Ranjan could not give satisfactory answers to several questions. Now the ED has asked him to appear on coming May 1 with all the details of his and his family’s assets.

Chhavi Ranjan was posted as Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi till a few months back. Meanwhile, four and a half acres of land occupied by the army in Bariatu area of Ranchi was bought and sold. In this case, after receiving the complaint of money laundering, ED registered a case and started investigation, it has been revealed that fake documents of land were prepared and sold in Bengal. While registering the land, the Under Registrar of Ranchi had made a written remark that this registry was being done on the orders of the Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi. The ED asked him that the land was in possession of the army but a fake possession of a person named Pradeep Bagchi was shown. Ranchi Municipal Corporation got the land registered by showing two fake holdings, how was this possible. Chhavi Ranjan could not satisfy the ED with the answers to many questions related to this big game of Fajirwada.

On the other hand, the accused arrested earlier in this scam by the ED said that after becoming the Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi, he had contacted all the land traders and called them to his office. He had asked everyone to do fajirwada for the land. Although Chhavi Ranjan kept denying it.

Chhavi Ranjan is currently posted as Director in the Social Welfare Department in the Government of Jharkhand. About ten days ago, the ED had recovered many documents by raiding 21 places besides Chhavi Ranjan’s residences in the land scam.

–IANS