The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched a money laundering investigation into the illegal sale of over 100 acres of forest land in Tetulia Mauja, located in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district.
The case, registered as ECIR 6/2025, is based on a police FIR and follows previous searches conducted by the ED in Ranchi and Bokaro.
Officials said the agency has sought permission from the court to interrogate accused Izhar Hussain, who is currently in judicial custody.
The property in question is listed in official government records as forest land (Jungle-Saal) and falls under the non-revenue (Gairmajurua Malik) category. It is recorded under Plot Numbers 426 and 450, covering an estimated 100 acres.
The ownership and sale of this land have been subjects of prolonged legal disputes, with the Bokaro district administration escalating the matter to the Supreme Court. However, judicial rulings at every level have failed to favour the administration’s claims.
The ED’s probe stems from FIR No. 32/2024, originally filed at the Sector-12 police station in Bokaro and later taken over by the state’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The CID has already arrested two individuals in connection with the alleged scam — Izhar Hussain and Puneet Agarwal.
With the ED stepping in, officials expect further revelations about the large-scale fraudulent transactions involving protected forest land.
The agency is likely to investigate potential money laundering aspects linked to the proceeds from the illegal sale, and more arrests or asset seizures may follow as the case unfolds.
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