Central Exposing the Alleged Embezzlement Scandal in Khunti District – ED’s Prosecution Unveiled

Allegations have been made by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that an individual conspired with Khunti district officials to embezzle Rs 18.06 crore from the state exchequer between 2009 and 2011. Additionally, Rs 61.5 lakh from “proceeds of crime (POC) generated from Khunti” was deposited in her bank account, which was above her known sources of income. These claims are part of the ED’s prosecution complaint in the investigation of the MGNREGA funds embezzlement case in Khunti district.

The prosecution complaint filed by the ED against Singhal, her husband Abhishek Jha, who owns Pulse Hospital in Ranchi, and her chartered accountant Suman Kumar, was submitted to a special court in Ranchi in July. Singhal, who served as Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Khunti from February 16, 2009 to July 19, 2010, was allegedly involved in these fraudulent activities.

Following searches conducted by the ED on several properties linked to Singhal, Jha, and Kumar in May, a significant amount of cash amounting to Rs 19.76 crore was recovered. Singhal and Kumar were subsequently arrested and are currently in judicial custody, while Jha has filed an anticipatory bail petition.

The ED has accused Singhal of receiving an illegal commission in development projects in Khunti and maintaining two PANs. It was revealed that Rs 73.81 lakh was deposited in her accounts at ICICI Bank, with Rs 61.5 lakh considered as proceeds of crime deposited between 2009 and 2011. Furthermore, the agency discovered that Singhal purchased 13 insurance policies from ICICI Bank between 2005 and 2012-13, paying a premium of Rs 80.81 lakh, which exceeded her declared income as per her Income Tax Returns.

The case against Singhal came to light during the ED’s investigation into the alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds in Khunti involving Ram Binod Prasad Sinha and three other district officials. Singhal, who was DC of Khunti during this period, is accused of colluding with Sinha to misappropriate funds from various development projects.

The ED’s complaint also revealed discrepancies in the bank accounts of Pulse Sanjeevani, showing a total turnover of Rs 69.17 crore between 2012-13 and 2019-20, despite receiving total credits of Rs 163.59 crore. Additionally, Jha’s company paid Rs 6.19 crore to ‘Unique Construction’ for the construction of Pulse Hospital.

In conclusion, the ED’s investigation has exposed a series of financial irregularities and corruption involving Singhal, Jha, and Kumar in the embezzlement of public funds in Khunti district.