THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Patna, March 16: As part of an investigation into illegal sand mining and its sale, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided several places in the Arrah district of Bihar on Saturday in relation to a money laundering probe against sand trader Krishna Mohan Singh.
In accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), raids are being conducted at several locations.
Based on tips against the trader, the agency conducted raids at Singh’s Arrah home and other locations in close coordination with the state police. The ED is also monitoring Singh’s properties in the Anand Nagar neighbourhood of Arrah.
Today, the agency conducted an early morning investigation at Singh’s residence to look into the undisclosed earnings from his sand business.
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Case linked to Broadsons Commodities Pvt Ltd’s illegal sand sale
The case seems to be linked to a money laundering investigation involving Broadsons Commodities Pvt Ltd.
In the previous month, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) provisionally attached two immovable properties under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 which were worth Rs 26.19 crore acquired by Radha Charan Sah, an MLC of the Bihar Legislative Council.
In response to 19 First Information Reports (FIRs) filed by the Bihar police under several provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the Bihar Mineral (Concession, Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rule, 2019 against Broadson Commodities Private Limited and others, the Enforcement Department (ED) launched an investigation.
It is claimed that Broadson Commodities Private Limited engaged in illicit sand mining and sold sand without utilizing the departmental pre-paid transportation e-challan issued by the mining authority in Bihar. This alleged activity has purportedly resulted in significant revenue losses amounting to Rs 161.15 crore for the government treasury.
According to an ED investigation, a syndicate was primarily in charge of the unlawful mining and sale of sand. As a member of a syndicate, Radha Charan Sah amassed substantial wealth from the illicit sand sales of Broadsons Commodities Private Limited.
