Director General of Police (DGP) Mr. Anurag Gupta (1990-batch IPS officer) has ordered the arrest of Sahara India officials in Jharkhand, stating that warrants will soon be issued against them. This decision was taken during a review meeting held at the Police Headquarters in Ranchi on Monday, where the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) case against Sahara India officials was discussed. The move comes as more than 30,000 investors from Jharkhand have invested Rs. 40,000 crore in Sahara India but have yet to receive their maturity amounts.
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The case against Sahara India has been filed by Vishwa Bharati Janseva Sansthan, and several officials have been named as the main accused. Among them are Ms. Sapna Rai, wife of Sahara founder Mr. Subrata Roy, along with Mr. Om Prakash alias OP Srivastava, who holds the position of Director-Deputy Director. Others accused include Mr. Neeraj Kumar Pal, a society director from Jharkhand, and Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, the director and zonal head of Ranchi, along with several other Sahara officials. The anticipatory bail pleas of both Mr. Neeraj Kumar Pal and Mr. Sanjeev Kumar have already been rejected by the lower court in Jharkhand, increasing the likelihood of their imminent arrest.
During the meeting, DGP Mr. Anurag Gupta expressed strong displeasure at the Sahara officials for failing to disclose details regarding the investments and maturity amounts of the investors. He noted that the company had repeatedly failed to honor its commitments, despite previous warnings. The DGP made it clear that he strongly objects to this non-compliance and assured that all the accused will soon be arrested with a warrant.
Further discussions in the meeting revealed that Sahara India had purchased immovable properties in various states using funds from Jharkhand investors. However, despite a ban imposed by the Supreme Court, many of these properties, particularly in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, were allegedly sold at prices far below the market rate. Given the seriousness of these financial irregularities, it was decided that an FIR would be registered, and a thorough investigation would be conducted into the sale of these properties.
The Jharkhand government has also taken a step forward by approving the formation of an inquiry commission to investigate where and how the investors’ money has been utilized within the state. While the commission has been approved, the government has yet to finalize the number of members or the appointment of a chairman.
The meeting, which took place at the Police Headquarters in Ranchi, was attended by Jharkhand Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr. Sudarshan Mandal (2006-batch IPS officer), Visva Bharati National Secretary Mr. Nagendra Kumar Kushwaha, Joint Secretary Mr. Ashok Kumar, Deputy Secretary Mr. Praveen Kumar Srivastava, and Advocate Mr. Akhilesh Srivastava.
With the growing concerns of investors who are yet to recover their hard-earned money, the Jharkhand Police and the state government are now taking firm steps to ensure accountability and justice in the Sahara India financial fraud case.
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