The CBI logo.
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: The CBI searched 20 locations in three states, including poll-bound Jharkhand, on Tuesday in connection with an illegal stone mining case in Nimbu Pahar in which Chief Minister Hemant Soren's alleged political aide Pankaj Mishra is under probe, officials said.
The searches were conducted in Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar. The central probe agency launched the operation at 11 locations in Jharkhand's Sahibganj, three in Ranchi and one location each in Patna and Kolkata at the premises of the suspects and their associates, they said.
Later, it expanded the searches to two more locations in Sahibganj, one location in Jharkhand's Gumla and one in Kolkata, taking the total number of searched premises to 20, the officials said.
Assembly polls in Jharkhand will take place on November 13 and 20. The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the INDIA bloc will face the BJP and its NDA allies.
The CBI has recovered Rs 50 lakh cash, of which Rs 40 lakh was seized from the premises of Ranjan Verma. One kilogram of gold and 61 live cartridges of 9 mm pistol were seized from Bhagwan Bhagat in Sahibganj.
Verma and Bhagat are understood to be close associates of Mishra, the officials said.
Sale deeds related to properties, documents related to investments and shell companies, agreement papers and other incriminating documents have been seized, a CBI spokesperson said in a statement.
The agency registered the case on November 20, 2023, at the direction of the Jharkhand High Court.
In its FIR registered on November 20 last year, the Ranchi unit of the CBI booked Mishra, Pavitra Kumar Yadav, Rajesh Yadav, Sanjay Kumar Yadav, Bacchu Yadav, Sanjay Yadav and Suvesh Mandal.
They are allegedly involved in the "pilferage and illegal extraction" of stones at Nimbu Pahar in Sahibganj.
"Investigation revealed that large-scale illegal mining activities in Sahebganj district allegedly caused substantial losses to the government, primarily through unpaid royalties and the violation of mining laws," the spokesperson said.
The official said Tuesday's searches are being carried out at the premises of suspects whose roles came up during further investigation.
He said field investigations suggest that key individuals and entities were allegedly involved in this operation, using multiple methods to conceal their activities and divert illicitly obtained resources or money.
"Initial investigation gathered evidence which revealed the involvement and nexus of key individuals and firms to carry out the illegal mining activity and conceal the proceeds thus obtained," he said.
The Jharkhand High Court had directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary enquiry into the conduct of the accused persons booked by the Sahibganj police and also the conduct of petitioner Bijay Hansda, who had sought to withdraw the writ petition.
It issued the orders on the petition filed by Hansda, who alleged that for two-and-a-half years, the "stone mafia" were carrying out "illegal mining" in connivance with government officials, including mining officials, of his district.
He alleged that they were using earthmoving machines and carrying out blasts that resulted in cracks in the houses of villagers.
Hansda also alleged that he had seen illegal mining being carried out in the presence of Mishra but his complaints to district officials did not result in any action.
The court had also directed the agency to register a regular case after the preliminary enquiry (PE) and look into the role of other public servants.
After completion of the PE, the agency had taken over the FIR filed by the Sahibganj police in the illegal mining case against the eight accused.
During a hearing before the high court, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had said that Mishra controlled the illegal stone mining and their transportation in Sahibganj.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) expressed serious concerns over the issue of illegal mining in Sahibganj, the ED had said.
"It has been further stated that Pankaj Mishra (is) the MLA representative of the Jharkhand chief minister and is a very influential person," the high court had noted.
It had said Mishra was directly involved in illegal mining in Sahibganj and its adjoining areas.
"... the said Pankaj Mishra is already arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and he is in jail custody," the court had said, citing ED submissions.
Mishra is enjoying political patronage and that is why, the investigation is not being done in the correct perspective, it noted.
"The court finds that there are sufficient materials of illegal mining in the district of Sahibganj, that too at the behest of one Pankaj Mishra and others, and if such materials are there on the record, the court finds in view of the counter-affidavit filed by the respondent State of Jharkhand that the investigation is only an eyewash so far the illegal mining is concerned," Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi said in the August 18, 2023, order.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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