Ranchi — The Directorate of Enforcement has submitted its fifth supplementary charge sheet in the Jharkhand Rural Works Department (RWD) money laundering case, naming 14 more engineers and officials as accused.
Filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in a special court in Ranchi, the latest development takes the total number of accused in the case to 36. The investigation originates from an FIR registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Jamshedpur under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to the agency, the probe has revealed a systematic bribery network operating within the RWD, Rural Development Special Zone (RDSZ), and the Jharkhand State Rural Road Development Authority (JSRRDA). Officials allegedly collected around 3 per cent commission from contractors for awarding tenders.
The ED claims the money was distributed through a structured chain, with a portion allegedly linked to former minister Alamgir Alam through his aide Sanjeev Kumar Lal, while the rest was shared among senior officials and engineers.
The alleged scam involves tenders worth about Rs 3,048 crore, with proceeds of crime estimated at over Rs 90 crore.
Those named in the fresh charge sheet include retired and serving engineers across ranks — from chief engineers to assistant engineers. The agency said their roles involved collecting and routing the illegal commission.
So far, the ED has carried out 52 searches across Jharkhand, Delhi, and Bihar, and arrested nine people in connection with the case. Alam, Lal, and another associate are currently in judicial custody.
The agency has also attached assets worth around Rs 44 crore and seized nearly Rs 38 crore in cash, along with several luxury vehicles.
Earlier, one main charge sheet and four supplementary charge sheets had already been filed, and the court has taken cognisance of all of them.
With inputs from IANS