Jharkhand illegal mining case: ED seizes Rs 30 crore vessel owned by CM Hemant Soren’s aide

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized one inland vesselknown as MV Infralink-III with registration number WB 1809 as part of the ongoing investigation into illegal mining and extortion in Jharkhand on Tuesday. The vessel is being operated at the command of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s MLA representative Pankaj Mishra.

They said the vessel is linked to Pankaj Mishra, a political aide of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was arrested by the ED recently in an illegal mining case and is in the agency’s custody till August 1.

Police have lodged an FIR against the owner of the vessel at the local police station .which as per the investigating agencies was being “operated illegally without having any permit from Sukargarh Ghat in Sahebganj (Jharkhand).”The estimated cost of the vessel is believed to be around Rs 30 crore.

“The vessel was being operated at the behest of Rajesh Yadav alias Dahu Yadav in collusion with Pankaj Mishra and others for transporting illegally mined stone chips/stone boulders,” PTI quoted ED.

Revealing developments of the case to the media, the investigating agency Sid had earlier seized two “illegally” operated stone crushers of Maa Amba Stone Works operated by Bishnu Yadav and Pavitra Yadav along with three trucks that were found at Mauza Majhikola in Sahebganj carrying illegally quarried stone chips/boulders without having any mining challans.

Furthermore, the agency claimed to have identified an illegal mine situated at Mauza Simaria, Sahebganj, operated by Bishnu Yadav and others while another has been marked at Mauza Demba, Sahebganj where mining “exceeded far beyond the leased area”.

“The quantification of the excess illegal mining done at the above site has been estimated around 37.5 million cubic feet which have remained undeclared and concealed. The processed value of the mined stone chips/boulders is estimated to be around Rs 45 crore,” the statement said.

An ED team is camping in the Sahebganj district since July 25 and is undertaking a joint survey of the areas of the mine along with the Jharkhand state pollution control board, district mining office, district forest office, and other departments “to identify the beneficiaries of such illegal mining activities and to investigate the proceeds acquired through illegal mining activities”.

The ED probe against Mishra and his alleged associates was launched on July 8 after the federal probe agency raided at least 19 locations in Sahibganj, Barnet, Rajmahal, Mirza Chauki, and Barharwa in Jharkhand in a case linked to alleged irregularities in the operation of toll plaza tenders and instances of illegal mining in the state.

The searches were launched after the ED filed a PMLA case in March against Mishra and others alleging he “illegally grabbed/amassed huge assets in his favour.” After the raids, the ED had frozen deposits of Rs 11.88 crore lying in 37 bank accounts belonging to Mishra and Rajesh Yadav.

Agency has also recovered “unaccounted” cash amounting to Rs 5.34 crore which is believed that the money was linked to “illegal mining” in Jharkhand.

Five stone-crushers that were being “illegally” operated and an equal number of “illegal firearm cartridges” were also seized by the ED.

“The evidence collected during the investigation, including the statements of various persons, digital evidence, and documents, revealed that the seized cash/bank balance is derived from illegal mining being rampantly done in the Sahibganj area, including the forest area,” the ED had said.

The agency said it was probing a trail of Rs 100 crore of “proceeds of crime” generated from illegal mining operations in the state.

It had recently stated that cash amounting to more than Rs 36 crore, linked to “illegal mining” in Jharkhand, was seized by its teams over the last more than two months as part of two separate money-laundering investigations.