A building in Ranchi where former town planner Ram Kumar Singh owns a flat on Thursday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

Ranchi, May 26: CBI raids on senior officials of Ranchi Regional Development Authority (RRDA) and builders today revealed that a former town planner, removed from the job after high court strictures, ownes as many as four flats and houses and land in Ranchi and Hazaribagh and in Aurangabad in Bihar.

Acting on the orders of the Jharkhand High Court to probe the alleged nexus between RRDA officials and builders, the CBI today raided six premises in the capital, including homes of former RRDA town planner Ram Kumar Singh, former secretary of RRDA S.N. Mandilwar, head assistant Umesh Singh, computer operator Ajit Kumar, daily wage-earner Chandan Kumar, builder Vijay Kumar Singh and lawyer Sanjay Vidrohi.

Another premises at Giridih, owned by Mandilwar was also raided.

Today’s raids followed the discovery that maps of several prominent multi-storied buildings of the capital were missing from the RRDA office. The missing papers included those pertaining to Chandralok Apartment near Kutchery. A petition filed by one of the flat owners of Chandralok, Har Narain Lakhotia, had prompted Jharkhand High Court to order a CBI probe on March 22.

Lawyer Vidrohi, who owns the ground floor of Chandralok Apartment, is the son of former advocate general S.B. Gadodia.

While the raids apparently did not yield the missing files, they did reveal documents related to four flats owned by Ram Kumar Singh, and also papers pertaining to houses and land he owned in Hazaribagh and Aurangabad in Bihar. Of the four flats, two are in Lalpur, and one each near Tagore Hill and Burdwan Compound.

Ram Kumar, later posted as town planner in Ranchi Municipal Corporation, was removed on the directives the high court and sent back to his parent water resources department. Mandilwar has since retired.

While Ram Kumar, who held the post of town planner without proper academic qualification, allegedly promoted illegal constructions by not inspecting the building sites, computer operator Ajit Kumar failed to produce the necessary files, hampering investigations.

According to sources, the plush interiors of Ram Kumar’s flats left the raiding team stunned.

Among the other premises raided was Umesh Singh’s house at Devi Mandap Road in Ratu Road, and Ajit Kumar’s flat in Suraj Apartment on Harihar Singh Road. While builder Vijay Kumar Singh’s home was on Piska More, Chandan lives in P&T Colony.

The CBI was also supposed to raid the Aryapuri premises of builder Bibhuti Bhushan Amar, but as he was not available, his house was sealed.

CBI DIG S.K. Jha confirmed the raids, adding that the investigating team had come across a number of irregularities. He did not rule out raids on some so-called big fishes in the future.

The investigating agency took up the case after an FIR was registered on March 30 after the then registrar general of Jharkhand High Court H.C. Mishra, forwarded a complaint in the wake of the high court direction.

The CBI team, with the help of RRDA officials, collected more than 1,500 building plans and other files generated since January 1, 1996 in connection with commercial and residential apartments. It also took copies of all complaints filed with RRDA about unauthorised constructions.