Land for jobs case: ED attaches assets of Lalu’s kin

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday attached assets worth over ₹6 crore linked to kin of RJD chief Lalu Prasad in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Bihar’s capital Patna in the land-for-jobs case, according to a press release issued by the federal probe agency

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday attached assets worth over ₹6 crore linked to kin of RJD chief Lalu Prasad in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Bihar’s capital Patna in the land-for-jobs case, according to a press release issued by the federal probe agency.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad during opposition parties' meet in Bengaluru on July 17. (PTI)

The ED statement said that the property at New Friends Colony in the national capital, registered in the name of M/S A B Exports private Limited, was shown to have been acquired in 2011 at a value of mere ₹4 lakh. “Despite being declared as the registered corporate office of various companies under the control of the Yadav family, the same is being used solely for the residential purposes, which was also revealed during the search operation conducted at the said premises on March 10, 2023,” the press release said.

Two land parcels situated at Mahuabagh (Danapur), of which one each is owned by Rabri Devi and M/s AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd, have also been attached, besides a land parcel at Bihta owned by Misa Bharti, the ED said.

“The agency has provisionally attached six immovable assets located at New Delhi, Ghaziabad and Patna, having book value of ₹6.02 crore,” the statement said.

ED’s action comes around a month after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a fresh charge sheet in the land for jobs case, in which it has been alleged that during his tenure as railway minister from 2004-09, Lalu Prasad gave away railways jobs illegally to some people in exchange for land parcels that were gifted or sold to him and his kin at heavily discounted prices.

The charge sheet, filed on July 3, was against Prasad, his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and son and incumbent deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, besides others.

This was the first time that Tejashwi’s name was included among the accused in the case.

According to the CBI, no advertisement or public notice was issued for the appointments, but some Patna residents were appointed as “substitutes” in railways in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hajipur.

The ED is probing the the money laundering angle in the case.

Earlier, the agency had searched 24 locations in Delhi NCR, Patna, Mumbai and Ranchi, including residences of Lalu Prasad’s family members. The agency had claimed to have recovered unaccounted cash of ₹1 crore, besides gold and jewellery and incriminating documents.