Jharkhand News: ED Seizes House and 13.24 Acres of Land Linked to Former MLA Amba Prasad’s Brother Ankit Raj

Ranchi, September 24, 2025: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized assets worth over ₹3.86 crore belonging to Ankit Raj, brother of former Jharkhand MLA Amba Prasad. The seizure includes a house valued at ₹1 crore and 13.24 acres of land in Hazaribagh district, allegedly acquired through illegal earnings from the sand mining business.

ED Seizes Property of Ankit Raj in Hazaribagh

According to ED officials, investigations revealed that Ankit Raj used proceeds of crime from the illegal sand trade to purchase multiple plots of land across different areas of Hazaribagh district. These include both agricultural and residential properties.

In 2021, Ankit Raj reportedly bought eight decimals of land in Mouza Cantonment under Sadar police station for ₹75 lakh, registered under sale deed number 9106/2021. Later, he built a permanent house worth ₹26 lakh on the same land, bringing the total paper value of the house and land to ₹1.01 crore.

Illegal Earnings from Sand Mining Converted into Property

The ED found that the accused invested ₹2.85 crore of unaccounted income in purchasing a total of 13.24 acres of land across Hazaribagh. Some plots were bought with direct cash payments, while others were purchased using banking channels after depositing illegal earnings to make the money appear legitimate.

The seized property list includes both residential plots and agricultural land, indicating systematic attempts to conceal proceeds of crime. In addition to land and house property, ED has also attached two fixed deposits (FDs) held in Ankit Raj’s name.

Details of Land Seized in Hazaribagh

As per the seizure order, the ED has attached the following properties belonging to Ankit Raj:

The ED stated that the seizures are part of ongoing action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against those involved in illegal sand mining in Jharkhand.