Ranchi, March 31 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate has submitted its fifth supplementary charge sheet to a PMLA Special Court in Ranchi regarding the purported MGNREGA fraud in Jharkhand's Khunti district, naming five new accused, including close family members of IAS officer Pooja Singhal, as stated in an official announcement on Tuesday.

The newly identified individuals in the charge sheet are Singhal's mother, Kamlesh Singhal, her brother, Siddharth Singhal, and her mother-in-law, Amita Jha. Additionally, Radheshyam Fireworks LLP and Pawan Kumar Singh, who is the brother of Chartered Accountant Suman Kumar, have also been implicated.

According to the ED, these newly accused individuals allegedly participated in the concealment and laundering of proceeds from crimes associated with significant irregularities in the execution of MGNREGA programs in Khunti.

The agency has requested the attachment of a 17-decimal plot in the Boreya area of Ranchi, estimated to be worth approximately Rs 1.33 crore, asserting that it was acquired through illicit means.

The case stems from 16 FIRs filed by the Jharkhand Police and the state Vigilance Bureau. Investigations reveal that between 2009 and 2011, out of roughly Rs 24 crore allocated for development projects in Khunti, nearly Rs 18.06 crore was reportedly misappropriated through fraudulent practices and inflated billing.

The ED has claimed that Pooja Singhal, who was the Deputy Commissioner of Khunti at the time, played a pivotal role in the scam by facilitating approvals in exchange for commissions of up to five percent, while also extending protection to involved officials. The proceeds were allegedly funneled through relatives, associates, and benami entities to obscure their origins.

Further findings from the probe indicate that funds were injected as share capital into a private firm via bank accounts linked to Amita Jha, while Siddharth Singhal also made analogous investments.

The ED asserts that the Boreya land was purchased through Radheshyam Fireworks LLP using laundered funds, with Pawan Kumar Singh and Kamlesh Singhal listed as nominal partners to disguise the actual ownership.

Previously, the ED had lodged a prosecution complaint against eight individuals, including Pooja Singhal, her husband Abhishek Jha, and Suman Kumar. During searches on May 6, 2022, the agency uncovered Rs 19.31 crore in cash from locations associated with Suman Kumar, marking a significant advancement in the investigation.

The ED reported that multiple assets have been provisionally attached, with confirmations received from the Adjudicating Authority, and further investigations are ongoing.