Hemant Soren ‘Lands’ in Fresh Trouble as ED Takes Another Accused in Custody, Reveals New Evidence – News18

The plot seems to have thickened in Jharkhand’s land scam case in connection with which the state’s chief minister Hemant Soren resigned before being arrested this year. Even as the opposition INDIA bloc sharpens its attack on the Enforcement Directorate (ED), alleging the arrests of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader as well as Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in separate cases just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections were “illegal” and “motivated”, the agency took custody of another accused, Mohammed Saddam, who allegedly forged the land records of 1940 following instructions from Soren. News18 has accessed a special report prepared by the ED that lists the “forged” documents with pictures.

The report is titled “How was Md Saddam and gang used to fabricate the land records of Bargai land having area 8.86 acres at the behest of Bhanu Pratap in connivance with Hemant Soren?” Apart from Soren and Saddam, Bhanu Pratap is another arrested accused in the case.

“Based on the new evidences as below, ED filed production application before Special PMLA Court to produce Md Saddam Hussain. Special PMLA Court issued production warrant to produce Md Saddam Hussain on 9th April and ED may arrest Md Saddam Hussain for custodial interrogation,” said the report.

Saddam was already in jail as he was arrested in a different land scam case, but the directorate on Tuesday formally arrested him and took him in three days remand, said a senior official in the agency.

“ED arrested Saddam in connection with a land scam case, in which Hemant Soren is the prime accused. Land records related to property, usurped by Soren, were forged by him,” added the source.

The special report stated, “During searches at Md Saddam Hussain’s House, several forged and fabricated deeds have been found. Afsar Ali and Saddam both deposed before ED that these deeds are fake and forged. Kind attention is invited to sale deed no 3985 of 1940 between Balka Pahan and Asgar Hussain. This sale deed was fabricated by this gang at the behest of Bhanu Pratap Prasad in connivance with HS to usurp the subject land in favour of HS which is already in illegal possession of Hemant Soren.”

During its investigation, the ED had written to the Registrar of Assurance, Kolkata, to investigate this matter. A four-member committee was formed by the Registrar, which confirmed the forgery and recommended a fresh FIR, said officials.