NEW DELHI: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached 6 immovable assets worth more than Rs 6 crore belonging to family members and associates of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in connection with the land for railways jobs case during the tenure when Yadav was the railway minister in the UPA government between 2004-2005.
The properties attached include that of Rabri Devi, his daughter Misha Bharti, Vineet Yadav (husband of Hema Yadav D/o Lalu Yadav), Shiv Kumar Yadav (father-in-law of Hema Yadav), A B Exports Pvt Ltd and A K Infosystem Pvt Ltd., both companies owned & controlled by family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav.
The investigation was initiated by ED under PMLA, 2002 based on FIR registered by the CBI against the Ex-Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi & others. In this case, seven land parcels were acquired by Lalu Yadav's family members from the candidates irregularly appointed (as Substitutes) and their family members, as a quid pro quo for Group D jobs in Indian Railways.
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 that 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, closely associated with the Yadav family.
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.
Sources further added that an investigation under PMLA revealed that Smt. Rabri Devi and Smt. Hema Yadav sold four land parcels illegally acquired from appointees in Railway to M/s Meridian Construction India Ltd., a company related to Syed Abu Dojana, Ex-MLA of RJD and the proceeds of crime so obtained by Smt. Rabri Devi and Smt. Hema Yadav was further transferred through a maze of transactions to M/s A B Exports Pvt Ltd and M/s Bhagirathi Tubes respectively. Smt. Rabri Devi and Smt. Hema Yadav sold these land parcels for Rs 3.5 Crore against the acquisition cost of Rs 7.5 lakhs, thus deriving huge gains.
ED’s investigation has revealed that AB Exports Pvt Ltd is a shell company owned by Tejashwi Yadav and Smt. Chanda Yadav D/o Lalu Yadav and has its registered address at D-1088, New Friends Colony, Delhi. M/s Bhagirathi Tubes is a partnership firm under the control of the father-in-law and husband of Smt 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 M/s A B Exports Pvt Ltd. Two land parcels situated at Mahuabagh (Danapur), Patna of which one each is owned by Smt Rabri Devi and M/s AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd have also been attached. Further, one land parcel owned by Smt Misa Bharti has been attached at Bihta, Patna. Apart from this, a portion of two industrial plots, one plot each registered in the names of Vineet Yadav, husband of Smt. Hema Yadav and Shiv Kumar Yadav, father-in-law of Smt. Hema Yadav, situated at the Industrial area, of Sahibabad, Ghaziabad have also been provisionally attached.
The property situated at D-1088, New Friends Colony, New Delhi is an independent 4 storied bungalow, registered in the name of AB Exports Private Limited, which was shown to have been acquired in 2011 at a value of mere Rs 4 Lakhs. Despite being declared as the registered corporate office of various companies under the control of the members of the Yadav family, the same is being used solely for residential purposes, which was also revealed during the search operation conducted at the said premises on March 10, 2023.
Further investigation under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 is under progress, said a source associated with the development.