RANCHI: A widening corruption probe in Jharkhand’s rural infrastructure sector has brought 14 more engineers into the ambit of a money-laundering case, as investigators detail a structured system of commissions tied to public works contracts.
A Fifth Charge Sheet Expands the Case
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), through its Ranchi Zonal Office, has filed a fifth supplementary prosecution complaint in a money-laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s Rural Works Department. The complaint, submitted on March 17 before a special court designated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), names 14 additional engineers and officials as accused.
With this filing, the total number of individuals accused across all prosecution complaints in the case has risen to 36. The newly named individuals are drawn from multiple government bodies, including the Rural Works Department (RWD), the Rural Development Special Zone (RDSZ), and the Jharkhand State Rural Road Development Authority (JSRRDA).
The case traces its origins to a 2019 First Information Report registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Jamshedpur under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
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Allegations of a Structured Commission System
According to the ED’s investigation, a systematic commission-based arrangement operated within these departments, tied directly to the awarding of public works contracts. Officials allegedly collected a fixed commission of 3 percent of the total tender value from contractors in exchange for facilitating allotments.
Investigators described a hierarchical distribution of these payments. Of the total commission, approximately 1.35 percent was allegedly routed to the then minister Alamgir Alam through his personal secretary, Sanjeev Kumar Lal. A further 0.65 to 1 percent was said to have been directed to the departmental secretary, while the remainder was distributed among chief engineers and subordinate officials.
The scale of the alleged scheme was reflected in the volume of contracts examined. Against total tender allocations of roughly ₹3,048 crore, the ED estimates that proceeds of crime exceeded ₹90 crore.
Profiles of the Newly Named Accused
The 14 individuals newly arrayed as accused include several senior and retired engineering officials. Among them are retired chief engineers Singrai Tuti, Rajeev Lochan, Surendra Kumar, and Pramod Kumar. The list also includes executive engineers such as Santosh Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Ajay Tirkey, Raj Kumar Toppo, Ashok Kumar Gupta, Siddhant Kumar, and Anil Kumar (Retd.).
Assistant engineers Ram Pukar Ram and Ramesh Ojha, both retired, have also been named, along with Umesh Kumar (Retd.), a former superintending engineer who also served as engineer-in-chief.
The agency has alleged that these individuals played active roles in collecting, aggregating, and channeling commission payments. These funds, investigators say, constitute proceeds of crime under the PMLA.
Searches, Seizures, and Earlier Actions
The investigation has unfolded over multiple phases, with the ED conducting 52 searches across Jharkhand, Delhi, and Bihar. Authorities have arrested nine individuals so far, including former minister Alamgir Alam, his personal secretary Sanjeev Kumar Lal, and an associate, Jahangir Alam. All three remain in judicial custody.
Financial actions have accompanied the arrests. The agency has issued three provisional attachment orders, seizing properties valued at approximately ₹44 crore, all of which have been confirmed by the adjudicating authority. In addition, cash amounting to around ₹38 crore has been seized during the course of the investigation. This includes ₹32.20 crore recovered from premises linked to Sanjeev Kumar Lal and ₹2.93 crore from an individual identified as Munna Singh. Investigators have also seized eight luxury vehicles as part of the operation.
Prior to this latest filing, the ED had submitted one main prosecution complaint and four supplementary complaints in the case. Courts have already taken cognizance of those filings, marking the steady progression of what has become one of the more extensive corruption-linked money-laundering investigations in the state’s public works sector.
