A six-member team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) from Ranchi on Wednesday took possession of an incomplete multi-crore mall in Bistupur, reportedly owned by a close aide of former Chief Minister Madhu Koda.
The team put up a poster declaring a stay on the sale or resale of the land. “We are here to put a notice prohibiting any deal related to the land,” said Harish Kumar, a member of the team. Work was suspended at the mall — Balaji lifestyle Mall that was being developed by a Mumbai-based realtor — in November 2012 following income tax and Enforcement Directorate raids. As a consequence, bookings for office and business space in the mall had stopped.
The land was earlier owned by Ravi Inder Singh, the proprietor of Indian Steel and Wire Products (IS&WP). It was purchased by Vinod Sinha and a few other partners, including Bablu Ghosh, in 2008. After purchasing the land, they tied up with Balaji Group. Officials of Balaji Group could not be contacted for comments. The team also conducted similar inspections at Sonari and Burmamines.