SHAKEEL AKHTER
Ranchi, April 20: In a major revelation that could shake Jharkhand’s political corridors, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that former Drinking Water and Sanitation Minister Mithilesh Thakur received a share in a large-scale scam involving department tenders, while his brother Vinay Thakur laundered the illicit earnings.
According to the ED’s petition filed before the Adjudicating Authority, a 10% commission was routinely siphoned off from every departmental tender—with the minister, the department secretary, engineers, and other officials receiving fixed shares. The proceeds were allegedly laundered through a network of intermediaries and shell companies, implicating multiple high-profile figures, engineers, and chartered accountants.
Further details from statements recorded under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) reveal a deeply entrenched corruption network. Engineer Suresh Kumar was reportedly tasked with collecting the commission, with Santosh Kumar confirming that over ₹12 crore was distributed from a fraudulent withdrawal of ₹23 crore.
After hearing the arguments of all the parties, the Adjudicating Authority accepted the request of ED and ordered to keep the materials seized during the raid under sections 20, 21 of PMLA as important for further investigation. Also, the defendants have been given time to appeal against the decision in the tribunal.
Santosh Reveals Details of ₹12 Crore
In his statement, Santosh disclosed that ₹12 crore was distributed from the ₹23 crore fraudulently withdrawn. Among those allegedly involved in the distribution are Engineer Niranjan Kumar, Prabhat Kumar Singh, Chandrashekhar, and others.
Manish Kumar Agarwal, the chartered accountant of Engineer Niranjan Kumar, is said to assist him in investing his unaccounted wealth. According to a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the minister also receives a share of the commission collected from departmental tenders.
Engineer Appointed Using Fake Caste Certificate
In his reply to the showcause issued by the State government, Santosh also alleged that Engineer Niranjan Kumar secured his job through the use of a fake caste certificate.
The ED petition further states that Vinay Kumar Thakur, brother of the then Minister Mithilesh Thakur, is involved in laundering the commission received by his minister brother. He is said to be aided in this by Vedant Khirwal, a close associate.
Former Drinking Water Department Secretary Manish Ranjan has also been named in the petition. It is alleged that he received a share of the commissions as well. His wife is listed as a director in Orange Media Info Private Limited, a company where Manas Kumar, said to be close to Manish Ranjan, is also a director.
Vibhor Singhania, another close associate of Manish Ranjan, is reported to play a key role in managing Ranjan’s investments.
The ED further claims that Raghunandan Prasad, the retired Engineer-in-Chief of the department, maintained close ties with the then minister and also received a portion of the commissions. The agency noted that investigations into all these allegations are still ongoing.