Ranchi (IANS) | IAS Chhavi Ranjan had a meeting with power broker Prem Prakash in the VIP cell on the same day he was sent to jail in a money laundering case related to Ranchi’s land scam. Prem Prakash is also already in jail in money laundering case. The ED has seized the CCTV footage of the meeting of the two. Now the ED is preparing to send summons to the superintendent and jailer of Birsa Munda Jail in Ranchi for questioning in this matter.
IAS Chhavi Ranjan’s troubles may increase further after the footage of the meeting with power broker Prem Prakash surfaced. The ED has been interrogating him for the last ten days by taking him on remand.
During this, he was asked on the very first day that how do you know Prem Prakash and what is your relation with him? On this question, he categorically denied knowing or being related to any person named Prem Prakash.
Now that the ED has obtained the CCTV footage of the meeting of the two, a request to extend their remand period can be made to the court.
The ED team had conducted a search raid in Birsa Munda Central Jail on Monday with the permission of the court. Meanwhile, the CCTV footage of the jail was seized.
It was found that Prem Prakash reached the cell of Chhavi Ranjan, who was sent to jail on May 5, the same day at 6.41 pm with a towel wrapped around his face. After staying with Chhavi Ranjan in his cell for almost an hour, he came out at 7.36 pm.
It is being told that according to the jail manual, all the inmates of the jail are locked in their wards after sunset. They can neither go out of their ward nor meet any inmate of another ward.
ED may issue summons to Jail Superintendent and Jailor today or tomorrow in case of wrongful meeting of money laundering accused against jail manual.
Let us tell you that Chhavi Ranjan, former Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi, is accused of involvement in the case of illegal purchase and sale of land occupied by the army. In this case, the ED raided their locations. After this, on May 5, after ten hours of questioning, he was arrested and sent to Birsa Munda Jail. After this the Jharkhand government had suspended him.
Power broker Prem Prakash was arrested by the ED on August 25 last year after two AK 47 rifles, 60 cartridges and several documents related to money laundering were recovered during a raid at his residence in Ranchi’s Harmu.
–IANS
