Ranchi, March 30 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a fourth supplementary chargesheet at the Special Court (PMLA) in Ranchi against five individuals implicated in the misappropriation of government funds from various development initiatives, including MNREGA, in the Khunti district of Jharkhand, an official reported on Monday.

The chargesheet names Amita Jha, Siddharth Singhal, Radheyshyam Fireworks LLP, Pawan Kumar Singh, and Kamlesh Singhal, all charged under the PMLA, 2002.

The investigation has disclosed that these five newly identified individuals played a significant role in facilitating the layering and integration of Proceeds of Crime, the ED noted.

In conjunction with the chargesheet, the ED has requested the court’s authorization to seize 17 decimal of land located at Mouza Boriya, Ranchi, which was acquired using proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 1.33 crore, as stated in an official release.

The ED launched its investigation following 16 FIRs filed by the Jharkhand Police and the Vigilance Bureau against several government officials, including Ram Binod Prasad Sinha, who was serving as a Junior Engineer at the time.

The inquiry revealed that around Rs 24 crore was allocated for various development projects in Khunti district from 2009 to 2011, out of which Rs 18.06 crore was embezzled through fictitious and inadequately executed works, according to the ED.

Further investigation established that Pooja Singhal IAS, the then Deputy Commissioner of Khunti, was the primary beneficiary of this criminal scheme, extracting cash commissions amounting to 5 percent of the project funds in exchange for approving projects, while also protecting errant officials from disciplinary actions, the ED stated.

The proceeds of crime were subsequently reinvested through a complex network of benami entities, family proxies, and corporate structures, as explained by the ED.

In earlier investigation phases, charges were filed against eight individuals, including Pooja Singhal, her spouse Abhishek Jha, the chartered accountant and financial manager Suman Kumar, and M/s Pulse Sanjeevani Healthcare.

During the investigation, searches were conducted at 24 locations associated with Pooja Singhal and her associates on May 6, 2022, resulting in the recovery and seizure of Rs 17.49 crore in unaccounted cash from the residence of co-accused CA Suman Kumar in Ranchi.

Additionally, Rs 1.82 crore was recovered from the premises of an associate, bringing the cumulative cash seizure in this case to Rs 19.31 crore.

Moreover, various incriminating documents, financial records, bank statements, share certificates, corporate records, and digital devices containing vital evidence were confiscated, the statement added.

The ED has provisionally attached properties belonging to the accused through four Provisional Attachment Orders, which have been validated by the Adjudicating Authority (PMLA).