KOLKATA: The ED conducted raids on Friday at four places in Kolkata and eight in Jharkhand over alleged sale of defence land based on forged documents by a businessman, who was earlier arrested on charges of “hatching a conspiracy” to frame Rajeev Kumar, the Ranchi lawyer appearing in mining PILs against Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren.
ED teams searched businessman Amit Agarwal’s residence at HB Block in Kolkata’s Salt Lake and a motor parts shop owned by his brother Amar, besides two other offices linked to them in the city.
ED sources said proceeds from the forged land deals were routed to companies owned by the Agarwal siblings. A few of their shell companies were already under the scanner. ED sources allege that Amit’s firms were also used to launder ill-gotten cash from Jharkhand’s Rs 1,000-crore illegal mining case in which Soren faces allegations.
According to ED sources, Amit had allegedly sold defence land to a few individuals with the forged papers. He had got in touch with a group of realtors and developed a network that would zero in on prospective buyers and “cheat” them.
Amit is now in judicial custody after his arrest by the ED last month for allegedly trapping Kumar, the lawyer representing petitioner SS Sharma in two PILs against CM Soren. Kumar was arrested in July by Kolkata police on a complaint from Amit along with Rs 50 lakh in cash allegedly extorted from the businessman for providing him relief in a PIL linked to shell companies.
ED teams searched businessman Amit Agarwal’s residence at HB Block in Kolkata’s Salt Lake and a motor parts shop owned by his brother Amar, besides two other offices linked to them in the city.
ED sources said proceeds from the forged land deals were routed to companies owned by the Agarwal siblings. A few of their shell companies were already under the scanner. ED sources allege that Amit’s firms were also used to launder ill-gotten cash from Jharkhand’s Rs 1,000-crore illegal mining case in which Soren faces allegations.
According to ED sources, Amit had allegedly sold defence land to a few individuals with the forged papers. He had got in touch with a group of realtors and developed a network that would zero in on prospective buyers and “cheat” them.
Amit is now in judicial custody after his arrest by the ED last month for allegedly trapping Kumar, the lawyer representing petitioner SS Sharma in two PILs against CM Soren. Kumar was arrested in July by Kolkata police on a complaint from Amit along with Rs 50 lakh in cash allegedly extorted from the businessman for providing him relief in a PIL linked to shell companies.