Chhavi Ranjan misused position as Ranchi deputy commissioner for profit, says ED

RANCHI: The enforcement directorate (ED) on Friday claimed that the director of social welfare Chhavi Ranjan, who was arrested on Thursday night, misused his official position while serving as the deputy commissioner Ranchi and extended undue benefits to several parties for profit.
The ED alleged that while the ownership of the 4.55-acre of land currently under the Army’s possession in Morabadi mouza was under dispute, Ranjan, along with Prem Prakash, an accused in an illegal mining case, and businessman Amit Kumar Agrawal, hatched a conspiracy to get the plot registered in the name of M/s Jagatbandhu Tea Estate Private Limited, owned by Amit.
The agency said the transaction was done after tampering with the original registers in the records of the Registrar of Assurances, Kolkata, by favouring a fake owner, Pradip Bagchi, who then sold the land to the company.
During verification, circle officer Bargain Manoj Kumar submitted a report stating that Bagchi’s name does not appear in the state government’s official record. Ranjan, however, directed him to visit the Registrar of Assurances and verify the original deeds to find out the actual owner of the property.
The ED further said Ranjan as the DC was aware that the 4.55-acre land is disputed as the defence department had lodged a complaint with him against one claimant of the land, Jayant Karnad, who was selling it. Karnad had also secured favourable orders from the court regarding possession of the property.
The agency further alleged that Ranjan asked Manoj to do the mutation of one acre of disputed land on the Chesire home road in Ranchi in the name of businessman Bishnu Agrawal and his wife Anushree Agrawal. The forensic examination of Bishnu’s mobile phone revealed that he had facilitated a Goa trip for Ranjan and his wife and also arranged for their stay and food at the Taj Fort Hotel.
The arrangement was done through a travel agent to conceal the manner of booking and payment was made in cash to a travel agent in Delhi. The ED said it established a quid pro quo between Bishnu and Ranjan.
Ranjan also helped Agrawal acquire a non-saleable land at the Pugru mouza, Namkum, for which enquiry has been ordered by the state government.
The ED has further alleged that Ranjan again misused his official position in getting a 7.16-acre land at Hehal in Ranchi registered in the name of one Binod Singh by overlooking the records. The land was later sold to Shyam Singh and Ravi Singh Bhatia and Ranjan as the DC ordered the police to facilitate these persons in building the boundary wall of the land.
The agency further claimed that a sum of Rs 1 crore was paid to Ranjan for unblocking a plot of land in the Bargain mouza from the restricted list. It also alleged that fixed amounts of Rs 2 lakhs to Rs 2. 25 lakhs were paid from circle offices to the Ranjan.