In a recent development, a PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court has issued notices to individuals involved in the alleged ‘land for job scam.’ The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) released a statement stating that Amit Katyal, Rabri Devi, Misha Bharti, Hema Yadav, and Hridyanand Chaudhary are required to be present for further trial on February 9, 2024.
The ED had filed a prosecution complaint (PC) on January 1, 2024, under the PMLA against the mentioned individuals and two companies, A K Infosystems Private Limited and A B Exports Pvt. Ltd. These legal actions are part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged scam.
Amit Katyal, a businessman reportedly linked to former Bihar chief minister Lalu Yadav’s family, is one of the accused in this case. The central agency initiated the investigation based on an FIR (First Information Report) registered by the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) related to a ‘land for job scam,’ accusing Lalu Yadav of corruption during his tenure as the Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009.
According to the FIR, candidates were allegedly asked to transfer land as a bribe in exchange for jobs in Indian Railways. The CBI has also filed a charge sheet in connection with this matter.
The ED alleges that family members of Lalu Yadav, including Rabri Devi, Misha Bharti, and Hema Yadav, received land parcels from selected candidates at nominal amounts. Hridyanand Chaudhary, another accused, was a former employee in the gaushala (cow shelter) of Rabri Devi and allegedly acquired a property from one of the candidates, later transferring it to Hema Yadav.
The companies involved, A K Infosystems Private Limited and A B Exports Pvt. Ltd., are termed as shell companies that received proceeds of crime for Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family. The ED claims that immovable properties in these companies were acquired by front men and then transferred to family members for nominal amounts. Amit Katyal is alleged to have managed these companies for Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family.
Search operations conducted on March 10, 2023, resulted in the seizure of cash and valuables. The ED provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 6.02 crore on July 29, the previous year. Amit Katyal was arrested on November 11, 2023, for allegedly assisting Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family in money laundering and is currently in judicial custody.
The ED’s investigation into this complex case is still ongoing.
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