ED attaches assets in extortion case involving Naxals in Jharkhand

The money laundering probe is based on a chargesheet filed by Jharkhand police

February 26, 2021 08:23 pm | Updated 08:23 pm IST - NEW DELHI

A twitter image of Enforcement Directorate.

A twitter image of Enforcement Directorate.

The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth crores in connection with extortion from contractors, coal traders and transporters in the Magadh Amrapali coal block area of Jharkhand by Naxals.

The attached properties include movable assets held in the name of Bindeshwar Ganjhu and his company Maa Gange Coal Trading Private Limited.

The ED’s money laundering probe is based on an FIR registered, and a chargesheet filed, by the Jharkhand police against Binod Kumar Ganjhu and others. The case was later taken over by the National Investigation Agency, which has so far filed two chargesheets against the accused persons.

According to the ED, Bindeshwar Ganjhu used to extort money from the transporters and delivery order holders in the coal block area, in connivance with other extremists of Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) in Jharkhand’s Chatra district.

“He, being a member of the outlawed organisation TPC, was closely associated with its top leaders. He acquired the proceeds of crime in his name and that of his firm. The funds were projected and claimed as untainted properties,” said an official.

The ED has so far attached properties worth about ₹5 crore in the case, including that of Binod Kumar Ganjhu, Pradeep Ram and two other companies. This is one of the first cases against alleged Naxal elements taken up by the agency for money laundering investigations.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.