Gift Baiting, Fake Conferences, Black Magic: ED's Unconventional Probe Into Jharkhand Scam

Booking hotels in the name of employees of the Geological Survey of India, gathering officers in Ranchi for raids under the guise of a conference, arresting an absconding accused by baiting his wife through Diwali offer calls, facing alleged ‘black magic’ antics by the wife of a senior IAS officer, and more – this is what the Enforcement Directorate (ED) team is said to have endured to continue with its investigation into Jharkhand’s land and stone mining scam.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren and at least half a dozen senior IAS and IPS officers are being probed in the case. Investigations are still on but the team is said to be closing in on Soren and his alleged associates. News18 spoke with several officers in the agency and local sources to understand how ED’s operation in Jharkhand unfolded over the last two years.

A ‘Difficult’ State

Jharkhand is considered to be one of the difficult states to raid and operate in, especially in remote areas like Sahib Ganj that has the maximum number of stone mines. The distance between Ranchi and Sahibganj is around 435km, and it takes almost 11 to 12 hours to reach the locations by road. In June 2022, the ED started its first search and seizure operation in the area.

The operation was planned down to the last detail, and the ED wanted the operation to stay confidential because of the sensitive locations and the atmosphere in and around the area. Days before the raid, around 90 officers were requisitioned for the first search operation. They booked accommodations in and around Sahibganj in the name of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) officials.

The ED also requisitioned around 150 security personnel from the central forces and approached the area from several locations, including Farakka in West Bengal. The operation was planned so the mining mafia did not get prior information of the raids.

The directorate planned another major raid in connection with the land scam case across districts in Jharkhand last year and that too happened covertly. The directorate put notices and also published advertisements about a conference on the ‘Ill Effects of Money Laundering and Ways to Tackle It’, scheduled on April 13 and 14, 2023. The timing given was “10am onwards” and the ad mentioned the Zonal Office, Directorate of Enforcement, Ranchi as the venue.

Officials put up several posters and placards ‘welcoming’ the ‘delegates’ for the conference. Officers from across centres reached Ranchi ostensibly for the conference. None doubted the sudden arrival of so many officers. The raid happened in a few days and several incriminating documents were seized in connection with the land mining case. Needless to say, that there was no conference.

In the third covert operation, investigators arrested an accused, who is known to be close to the Chief Minister. The accused was absconding and had skipped all summons issued to him by the ED. The officers made a few calls to his wife, disguising them as promotional calls. The officer introduced himself as a marketing personnel and offered some gifts as ‘Diwali promotional deals’ to the wife of the accused. However, there was condition. The gifts could only be received if she could come with her husband as it was a ‘couples only’ offer. And sure enough, the accused tagged along with his wife to receive the ‘gifts’ at the specified location. He was promptly arrested and remains in custody.

‘Havan’ to Black Magic

During the course of the investigation, the officers also came to know that the family members of the accused persons were performing several ‘rituals’, including havan, to keep the ED officers away from their family members.

According to some of the telephonic conversations between the accused members and their family or friends, as intercepted by the agency, the family members discussed ways to build a resistance to ED raids by indulging in ‘black magic’ or ‘jadoo tona’.

During one such conversation, the officers got to know that the wife of a senior IAS officer in the state performed similar rituals, hoping it would keep a specific officer from entering Ranchi. Another IAS officer, who is now behind bars, sought advice from astrologers on how to evade arrest and accordingly the officer arranged a specific type of puja. He too was arrested not long after.