Ranchi — In fresh action against an alleged illegal sand-mining syndicate in Jharkhand, the Enforcement Directorate attached 30 movable and immovable properties valued at ₹3.02 crore on August 14 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the agency said on Monday. The properties are linked to accused operator Ankit Raj.
According to the ED, Raj and his associates used a complex, multi-layered system to extract, store and transport sand unlawfully, intentionally sidestepping mining regulations and abusing public authority to boost unlawful earnings. The agency said records indicate the seized assets were bought using proceeds of crime generated from those activities.
The investigation was launched after Jharkhand Police filed 16 FIRs on December 15, 2023, accusing the group of extortion, illegal sand mining, obstructing government work and operating a militant outfit named the Jharkhand Tiger Group. Subsequent ED searches took place on March 12–13, 2024 and July 4, 2025, and a survey at the District Mining Office in Hazaribagh on July 18, 2025 yielded further documentary evidence.
Drawing on witness testimony, documents from district mining authorities and data recovered from digital devices, the ED says it established that Raj continued to extract sand from the Haharo, Plandu and Damodar rivers even after his Sonpura Ghat mining licence lapsed in 2019.
The agency also conducted raids in July at eight locations linked to close associates of former Congress MLA Amba Prasad of Barkagaon; these were part of an ongoing money-laundering probe tied to a prominent company operating in coal transportation, infrastructure and the power sector. Simultaneous searches were reportedly carried out in Ranchi, Hazaribagh and Barkagaon.
With inputs from IANS