CBI Arrests Lalu Prasad's Aide Bhola Yadav In Land-For-Job Scam

Bhola Yadav, had taken a plunge in electoral politics and won the Bahadurpur seat in Darbhanga in the 2015 Bihar Assembly polls on an RJD ticket.

Former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav

Source : PTI File Photo

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's aide Bhola Yadav in connection with the 'land-for-job' in the railways during the time when Lalu Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA government, the officials said on Wednesday, reported news agency PTI. The investigation agency also conducted searches at four premises — two each in Darbhanga and Patna — belonging to Yadav, who was the officer on special duty (OSD) to the then railway minister Prasad between 2005 and 2009, they said.

Yadav was interrogated by the investigation agency in connection with the scam, in which land measuring over one lakh square feet belonging to job aspirants' families in Patna was allegedly purchased or transferred to Prasad's family members in return for group-D jobs in the railways.

CBI arrests former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad's aide Bhola Yadav in connection with 'land-for-jobs' scam in railways when Prasad was railway minister in UPA govt: Officials

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 27, 2022

The CBI suspects that Yadav had played a crucial role in facilitating the jobs and later, the transfer of land to Prasad's family.

An FIR was registered against the former Bihar CM his wife Rabri Devi, daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, in addition to 12 people who were given jobs in the railway zones of Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hajipur, the officials said.

The agency has alleged that land measuring about 1.05 lakh square feet in Patna was acquired by Prasad's family members by making payments to the sellers in cash.

"The current value of the above said seven parcels of land, including the land acquired through gift deeds, as per the existing circle rate is about Rs 4.39 crore.... Enquiry has revealed that the parcel of land, which was directly purchased by the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav from the sellers, was purchased at lower rates than the prevailing circle rates," the FIR has alleged.

Yadav, fondly referred to as "Hanuman" or the "shadow" of Prasad among Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supporters, had taken a plunge in electoral politics and won the Bahadurpur seat in Darbhanga in the 2015 Bihar Assembly polls on an RJD ticket.

In year 2020, he decided to change the seat to Hayaghat in the same district, a decision that proved to be costly as he lost the polls.