ED attaches assets worth over 6 cr linked to Lalu Yadav’s family in land for job scam

New Delhi [India]: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets over worth Rs 6 crore of many people linked to former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Yadav’s family in the land for job scam, the agency official said on Monday.

“ED has attached six immovable assets having a book value of Rs 6.02 crore belonging to Rabri Devi, Misha Bharti (daughter of Lalu Yadav), Vineet Yadav (husband of Hema Yadav who is the daughter of Lalu Yadav), Shiv Kumar Yadav (father-in-law of Hema Yadav),” the federal agency said in a statement. The agency further said that it has also seized the assets of AB Exports Pvt Ltd and AK Infosystem Pvt Ltd., both companies owned and controlled by family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 in the railway job for land scam.

The ED started an investigation under PMLA, 2002 based on FIR registered by the CBI against the Ex-Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi and others.
“In this case, seven land parcels were acquired by family members of Lalu Yadav (the then Minister for Railways during the period 2004-09) from the candidates irregularly appointed (as Substitutes) and their family members, as a quid pro quo for Group D jobs in Indian Railways,” the ED said.

The investigation by ED revealed that the family members of candidates gifted/sold land (at cheap rates/lesser than the circle rate) to family members of Lalu Yadav and associated companies in lieu of a job which was given in a malafide manner with undue haste and in violation of extant law and procedure. This criminal conspiracy to abuse his official position for the sake of seeking bribes led to the accretion of the land parcels by his family members at Mahuabagh (Danapur) and Bihta, Patna, in such a manner so as to consolidate the land holdings already in their possession.

Earlier in this case, searches were also conducted at 24 locations by ED at various places in Delhi NCR, Patna, Mumbai and Ranchi including residences of Hema Yadav, Ragini Lalu, Chanda Yadav and residential and commercial premises of  Amit Katyal,  Navdeep Sardana, Abu Dojana and Suman Nayak.

Searches resulted in the recovery of unaccounted cash of Rs 1 crore, foreign currency including USD 1900, 540 gms gold bullion and more than 1.5 kg of gold jewellery (worth Rs 1.25 Crore approximately) and several other incriminating documents indicating illegal accretion of huge land bank.

Investigation under PMLA revealed that Rabri Devi and Hema Yadav sold four land parcels illegally acquired from appointees in railway to Meridian Construction India Ltd., a company related to Syed Abu Dojana, Ex-MLA of RJD and the proceeds of crime so obtained by Rabri Devi and Hema Yadav were further transferred through a maze of transactions to AB Exports Pvt Ltd and Bhagirathi Tubes respectively.

“Rabri Devi and Hema Yadav sold these land parcels in Rs 3.5 Crore against the acquisition cost of Rs 7.5 lakhs, thus deriving huge gains,” the agency said.

ED’s investigation has revealed that AB Exports Pvt Ltd is a shell company owned by Tejashwi Yadav and Chanda Yadav, the daughter of Lalu Yadav and has its registered address at D-1088, New Friends Colony, Delhi. Bhagirathi Tubes is a partnership firm under the control of the father-in-law and husband of Hema Yadav, with its principal place of business at Ghaziabad (UP).

“A total of 6 immovable properties situated at New Delhi, Ghaziabad and Patna being proceeds of crime, have been provisionally attached under PMLA, 2002. The properties attached include the residential premise situated at D-1088, New Friends Colony, New Delhi owned by AB Exports Pvt Ltd. Two land parcels situated at Mahuabagh (Danapur), Patna of which one each is owned by Rabri Devi and AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd have also been attached. Further, one land parcel owned by Misa Bharti has been attached at Bihta, Patna,” the agency said in a statement issued on Monday.

Apart from this, a portion of two industrial plots, one plot each registered in the names of Vineet Yadav, husband of Hema Yadav and her father-in-law, situated in Ghaziabad have also been provisionally attached.