Subhechcha Ganguly 
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has uncovered a large-scale land scam in Jharkhand, where mafia groups seized 1,800 acres of tribal land through illegal means.
This scam, involving forged documents and falsified land records, violated the Chota Nagpur Tenancy (CNT) Act, which safeguards tribal lands from being sold. High-ranking individuals, including Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, have been linked to this conspiracy, with the ED investigating ₹3,000 crore worth of fraudulent transactions.
The CNT Act serves as vital protection for Jharkhand’s tribal land, ensuring it remains non-saleable. However, the scam exploited legal loopholes and corrupt practices, altering land records to allow the mafia to unlawfully acquire these protected lands.
The operation involved a network of land grabbers, revenue officials, and middlemen, who manipulated land deeds and altered records to falsely show that non-saleable land could be sold. Documents in revenue offices and the Registrar of Assurances in Kolkata and Jharkhand were tampered with using backdated entries and fabrications.
The ED has confirmed the mafia’s illegal acquisition of 1,800 acres of land, valued at an estimated ₹3,000 crore. These fraudulent land deals were part of a larger operation affecting multiple regions across Jharkhand, underscoring the vast scope of the conspiracy.
Among those accused is Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who allegedly acquired 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi, worth ₹31 crore, through illicit means. He was arrested by the ED but later released.
