Land-for-job scam: ED raids multiple locations in Delhi, Bihar against Lalu Prasad Yadav's relatives

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• Mar 10, 2023 | Dhupali Das

The raids were carried out at the homes of Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti and others in Delhi, as well as RJD leader and former MLA Abu Dojana in Bihar...

Digital Desk: In the alleged land-for-jobs scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on many relatives of former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad on Friday across Delhi, the National Capital Region (NCR), and Bihar.

The raids were carried out at the homes of Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti and others in Delhi, as well as RJD leader and former MLA Abu Dojana in Bihar, said sources. According to sources, the raids are taking place in over 15 different locations across Delhi, NCR, and Bihar.

Multiple teams of the ED carried out the searches simultaneously at these locations, which included the residential and office premises of the suspects and the beneficiaries of the alleged land-for-jobs scam. The ED conducted these searches under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after filing an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) taking cognizance of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case against Lalu Prasad in the matter.

The federal agency conducted these searches just days after a CBI team questioned Lalu Prasad in association with the land-for-jobs case. The CBI questioned Lalu Prasad for nearly five hours in two meetings on Tuesday. The CBI also questioned Lalu Prasad's wife, former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, for more than five hours on Monday at her Patna (Bihar) residence.

The CBI has already filed a charge sheet in the case against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, and 14 others under charges of criminal conspiracy and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Last month, a Delhi court summoned Lalu Prasad and the other accused to appear in court on March 15. So far, the CBI has arrested three individuals in connection with the case: Bhola Yadav, an officer on special duty to Lalu Prasad when he was railway minister; Hridayanand Chaudhary, a railway employee and an alleged beneficiary of the scandal; and Dharmendra Rai, another alleged beneficiary.

The CBI claims that Lalu Prasad and some of his family members received plots of land as bribes for jobs at the Indian Railways between 2004 and 2009 when he was Railway Minister. In connection with the investigation, the agency also searched nearly two dozen locations in August of last year.