"Bokaro Land Case: ED Conducts Raids at 16 Locations Across Jharkhand and Bihar"

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out searches at 16 locations across Jharkhand and Bihar in connection with a money laundering investigation tied to a suspected forest land scam in Bokaro district. The probe focuses on the alleged illegal acquisition and sale of protected forest land by a land mafia in collusion with government officials.

According to sources, the case involves the fraudulent transfer and subsequent sale of approximately 103 acres of protected forest land located at Mauja Tetulia in Bokaro. Investigators believe that the land, which was officially designated as forest area, was illegally handed over to a private company with the assistance of complicit officials.

ED officials conducted searches at various government and private premises during the coordinated operation. Among the locations targeted were the Bokaro Forest Department office and the office of the Circle Officer. Several other sites in Ranchi, the state capital, were also raided. These included the offices of a construction company as well as the residences of individuals associated with the firm.

In addition to central Ranchi, the agency also conducted searches in the city’s Kanke and Hatia localities. Sources said that evidence related to the alleged transaction and documentation of land records is being closely examined.

The case first surfaced in 2022 when an initial inquiry by the ED revealed serious irregularities in land records. According to findings from that preliminary investigation, a parcel of protected forest land under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department in the Chas police station area was misclassified as barren land back in 2013. This misrepresentation allowed the property to be sold illegally to a private entity.

Following these revelations, a formal case was registered. The State Crime Investigation Department (CID) subsequently launched its own parallel investigation into the matter. The probe was initiated under the supervision of Jharkhand Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Gupta.

The land scam has raised concerns over the manipulation of land records and the role of government officials in enabling such fraudulent activities. Forest land, protected under environmental regulations, is not meant to be sold or commercially exploited. However, the alleged collusion between land dealers and officials in this case allowed a large tract of ecologically sensitive land to be transferred unlawfully to private hands.

The involvement of multiple parties—including real estate firms, government employees, and private buyers—has made the investigation complex and wide-ranging. The ED’s latest round of searches is aimed at collecting documentary and digital evidence that could establish the money trail and expose the network behind the illegal sale.

When contacted for comment on the ongoing investigations, DGP Anurag Gupta declined to make a statement.

The Enforcement Directorate is expected to continue its probe, and further action may follow based on the findings from the documents and digital evidence collected during the raids.