Dhanbad. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated an investigation into the scam surrounding Jharkhand's new Excise Policy 2022. In this liquor scam, the ED has recorded the statement of Neeraj Singh, who provided fake bank guarantees. The ED launched its interrogation after incorporating the FIR registered by the ACB against IAS officer Vinay Choube and others into the already registered ECIR in the liquor scam.
Following changes in the tender conditions of the Excise Policy 2022, companies linked to the Chhattisgarh liquor scam began operations in Jharkhand. Investigations revealed that manpower supply companies M/s Vision Hospitality and M/s Marshan Innovative submitted fake bank guarantees. Vision Hospitality deposited a fake bank guarantee of Rs 5.35 crore and Marshan Innovative deposited Rs 5.02 crore. The bank guarantee documents submitted for both companies bore Neeraj Singh's signature. During questioning by the ED, Neeraj Singh admitted to submitting fake bank guarantees. With the collusion of excise department officials and on the basis of these fake bank guarantees, Marshan Innovative was awarded manpower supply for retail shops of the Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation (JSBCL) in Dhanbad, and Vision Hospitality in Hazaribagh, Koderma, and Chatra districts. According to rules, checking the bank guarantee is mandatory before issuing a work order after finalizing a tender. However, departmental officials failed to verify the bank guarantees submitted by these companies, causing financial loss to the government.
