Ranchi, April 8 (IANS) In a key development in the multi-crore tender commission and money laundering case linked to Jharkhand’s Rural Development Department, retired Engineer-in-Chief Rajiv Lochan and retired Executive Engineer Anil Kumar surrendered before the Special PMLA Court in Ranchi on Wednesday.

The court subsequently granted them conditional bail upon furnishing personal bonds of Rs 1 lakh each.

As part of the bail conditions, both accused have been directed to surrender their passports and refrain from leaving the country without prior permission.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had recently filed a supplementary charge sheet against 14 engineers in the case. Taking cognisance, the court issued a summons to all those named.

However, legal troubles continue for the prime accused and former Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam and his private secretary, Sanjeev Lal. The Supreme Court recently rejected their bail pleas and directed the trial court to record statements of key witnesses within four weeks and expedite proceedings.

So far, the agency has conducted 52 searches across Jharkhand, Delhi and Bihar, and arrested nine persons in connection with the case. Former minister Alam, his personal secretary Lal and associate Jahangir Alam are currently in judicial custody. Alamgir Alam was arrested on May 15, 2024.

According to the ED, its probe has revealed an organised commission-based syndicate operating within the department. Contractors were allegedly forced to pay around 3 per cent commission for securing tenders. Of this, about 1.35 per cent was allegedly routed to the minister, while the remainder was distributed among officials at various levels.

The probe agency has claimed that illegal collections exceeding Rs 90 crore were made against tenders worth approximately Rs 3,048 crore.

The case came to light in May 2024 after the ED raided premises linked to Jahangir Alam — an associate of Sanjeev Lal — led to the recovery of Rs 32.20 crore in cash.

The case is based on an FIR by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Jamshedpur, under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018.

–IANS

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