Rs 131-Cr Bihar Mining Scam Exposed!
ED uncovers illegal sand mining, seeks fresh FIR.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alerted the Bihar government to a massive Rs 131 crore sand mining scam in Banka district, implicating Mahadev Enclave and its director Manoj Kumar Pachisia, with potential ties to politicians, sources revealed. The ED's probe, initiated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), follows seven FIRs filed by Banka police between 2017 and 2018, accusing the company of illegal sand mining under laws covering cheating, forgery, theft, and violations of mining and environmental regulations.
A geospatial report from IIT Patna, commissioned by the ED, exposed that 11.99 crore cubic metres of sand were illegally excavated between 2016 and 2021, far beyond the company's licensed 28 riverbank sites, causing a Rs 131,43,20,058 revenue loss to the state. Despite police chargesheets, the case was settled in a 2023 Lok Adalat, with the accused fined and released, stalling ED’s money laundering probe due to the lack of a predicate offence.
The ED has now urged Bihar’s Mines and Geology department to file a fresh FIR under IPC/BNS sections for cheating, forgery, and conspiracy, alongside mining and environmental laws, to enable prosecution. Sources hint at a money trail linking the accused to political figures, raising concerns of deeper corruption in the state’s mining sector.
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