ED takes action against a coal mafia in Ranchi
The HinduThe Enforcement Directorate, Ranchi has provisionally attached 62 immovable properties of Mohammad Ezhar Ansari worth ₹9.67 crore in the case registered against him and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. ED initiated an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by Jharkhand Police under various sections of the erstwhile Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Coal Mines Act, 2017 against Mr. Ansari, his truck Driver Sayyaid Salmani and others. ED’s official statement said its investigation revealed that Mr. Ansari had misused the coal linkages policy under which subsidised coal was allotted to Small & Medium Enterprises of Ezhar Ansari, for captive consumption. “Around 86,568 MT of coal was allotted to 13 such SME firms of Mr. Ansari, but instead of using it as raw material for its own captive consumption, Mr. Ansari diverted and sold the coal in the open market and generated Proceeds of Crime of Rs 71.32 Crore,” the statement said. ED investigation indicated that in lieu of such subsidised coal allotment, Mr. Ansari used to give bribe/commission to some public servants.