ED confiscates ex-Jharkhand minister's property

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today confiscated assets, worth Rs 7.98 crore, of former Jharkhand health and labour minister Bhanu Pratap Shahi under money laundering act.
The ED officials of Patna zonal office confiscated assets including five commercial and residential properties in posh area of Gurgaon in Haryana, 10 acre of land at prime locations in Ranchi and 10 acre in Garhwa district and a few bank accounts in New Delhi, ED sources said.
"The property acquired by Shahi is way above his known sources of income after he was elected an MLA in 2005. Prima facie he seems to have abused his position of a minister in the state government and ED has ample proof to nail him any court of law in the country," they said.

The ED had, earlier, provisionally attached the assets of Shahi in December 2013.
"It was confirmed for confiscation by the PMLA adjudicating authority based in New Delhi. With this ED will take possession of all the marked assets of the former Jharkhand minister," they said, adding Shahi amassed these assets between 2005 and 2009 by abusing his office.
The ED registered a case against Shahi in 2009 to probe money laundering. Other agencies like the CBI and Jharkhand Vigilance Department were investigating the criminal side of the case.
Shahi was an accused in the Madhu Koda mining scam between 2006 and 2008.