Land-For-Jobs Case: Ex-Employee Of Rabri Devi's 'Gaushala' Got Property As Bribe From Aspirant, ED Claims

The ED claimed that a former employee of the 'gaushala' owned by Rabri Devi acquired property from a railway job aspirant and subsequently transferred it to the ex-Bihar chief minister's daughter.

Bihar Land-For-Jobs Case: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that a former employee of the 'gaushala' owned by RJD chief Lalu Prasad's wife Rabri Devi acquired property from a railway job aspirant and subsequently transferred it to the ex-Bihar chief minister's daughter, Hema Yadav, news agency PTI reported. The ED is currently investigating the land-for-jobs case, which implicates several members of Lalu Prasad's family.

According to the chargesheet filed by the ED earlier this month before a Delhi court, Lalu Prasad's family members Rabri Devi and her daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav have been named as accused, alongside others, PTI reported. The central agency has also identified Amit Katyal, an alleged close associate of Lalu Prasad and his family, Hridayanand Chaudhary, an alleged beneficiary of the scam and former 'gaushala' employee, and two firms—A K Infosystems Pvt. Ltd. and A B Exports Pvt. Ltd.—as part of the investigation, PTI's report mentioned.

The chargesheet alleges that these individuals and companies were involved in illicit transactions related to the land-for-jobs case. The Delhi court acknowledged the chargesheet last week, issuing notices to the accused to appear on February 9 for the commencement of the trial under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the report stated.

Amit Katyal, who was arrested by the ED in November last year for allegedly assisting Lalu Prasad and his family in money laundering, is currently in judicial custody. The ED conducted questioning and recorded the statement of Lalu Prasad, 75, at its Patna office on Monday as part of the ongoing probe.

Tejashwi Yadav To Appear Before ED On Tuesday

Lalu Prasad's son and former Bihar deputy chief minister, Tejashwi Yadav, is scheduled to be questioned on Tuesday in Patna in connection with the case, PTI reported.

The investigation revolves around allegations that Lalu Prasad, during his tenure as the railway minister in the UPA-1 government at the Centre, engaged in corruption for the appointment of Group-D substitutes in the Indian Railways between 2004 and 2009. The candidates were allegedly coerced into transferring land as bribes in exchange for jobs in the railways, as per a CBI FIR and the chargesheet filed by the ED, the report stated.

The ED contends that family members of Lalu Prasad—Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, Hema Yadav—received land parcels from families of selected candidates for nominal amounts. Hridayanand Chaudhary, another accused, allegedly acquired property from one of the candidates and later transferred it to Hema Yadav.

The ED further claims that A K Infosystems Pvt. Ltd. and A B Exports Pvt. Ltd. were shell companies used to receive proceeds of crime for Lalu Prasad's family. Immovable properties were purportedly acquired in these companies through front men, and shares were later transferred to family members of Lalu Prasad for nominal amounts.

A statement from the ED indicated that Amit Katyal managed these companies on behalf of Lalu Prasad and his family members.

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