Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday took-up investigation of illegal transfer of Rs 12.60 crore from the account of Special Land Acquisition Office, Northern Coal Project of Palamu district to two different accounts by fraudulent means.

Sources in the ED said that the agency has taken up investigation from the Crime Investigation Department of Jharkhand police in which a FIR 378/19 was lodged on October 25, last year under Daltonganj Town police station.

ED sources said that agency has lodged a fresh complaint against special land acquisition officer named as Banka Ram, the erstwhile nazir of special land acquisition office Ramashankar Singh, the erstwhile chief branch manager of Daltonganj main branch of State Bank of India (SBI) Ravindra Kumar Baraik, Amit Chandulal Patel and M/s Sheetal Construction.

They have been booked under sections 467, 468, 471, 409, 420 & 120-B of IPC besides sections of Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The embezzlement came to light last year after a FIR was lodged by special land acquisition officer (Northern Coal Project) Nisha Tirkey alleging that two unauthorised debit transactions took place from the account of Special Land Acquisition Officer on June 15, 2018. The money worth Rs. 4.20 crore was transferred to the account of one Amit Chandu Lal Patel and Rs. 8.40 crore to the account of M/s Sheetal Constructions.

Investigation further disclosed that no such records of debits were found in the books and accounts of the Land Acquisition Office. To ascertain the details of accounts as to where the money was ultimately transferred and on whose instructions the transactions were made, the erstwhile branch manager of SBI, Daltonganj, main branch, provided copies of application for NEFT and RTGS along with remittance and details of beneficiary accounts. It was found that the account of Sheetal construction was found to be maintained with

Federal Bank, Pune and a second account was registered on the name of Amit Chandu Lal Patel with Axis Bank in Orissa.