News Analysis India

Tag: money laundering

  • ED seizes benami documents, Rs 19L cash after raids on BRS MLA, brother

    New Delhi: The ED said on Friday that it seized Rs 19 lakh cash apart from a “large number” of property documents in the name of benami persons during raids on premises linked to BRS MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy and his businessman brother Gudem Madhusudan Reddy in and around Hyderabad. The raids were launched on Thursday at about ten locations as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged illegal mining.

    The money laundering case stems from an FIR of the Telangana Police against a company Santhosh Sand and Granite Supply located in Patancheru, Hyderabad and promoted by Gudem Madhusudan Reddy.

    The premises of G Madhusudan Reddy, G Mahipal Reddy, their company and others were searched, the central agency said in a statement. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party is headed by former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao.

    Search operations led to the seizure of “unaccounted” cash of Rs 19 lakh along with large number of property documents in the names of unrelated persons who are suspected to be “benamis” of the accused persons, the Enforcement Directorate said.

    Mobile phones “containing evidence related to cash dealings” were also seized, it said. Some bank locker keys were recovered and examination of these lockers is expected to furnish more evidence, it said. The accused firm, according to the ED, was found to have excavated and transported excess quantity of 11,98,743 CBM of building stone and road metal within the quarry lease permitted area and 10,11,672 CBM of material beyond the permitted area (on encroached government land measuring 4.37 hectares).

    In this process, the agency alleged, the accused “illegally amassed” around Rs 300 crore by sale of illegally excavated material and also evaded royalty amount of Rs 39.08 crore due to the government.

    “The sale proceeds of illegally excavated material were deliberately not reported in banking transactions and books of accounts and the transactions were suspected to have been carried out in cash.

    “The proceeds of crime in the form of cash were laundered by the accused and were invested in real estate and other activities,” the ED claimed.

  • ED opposes JMM leader Hemant Soren’s interim bail plea in SC

    New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate opposed in the Supreme Court on Monday former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s plea seeking interim bail in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam to campaign in the Lok Sabha polls. In its affidavit filed in the top court on Soren’s plea against his arrest and for interim bail, the probe agency said the materials on record establish that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader was involved in the acquisition and possession of properties in an illegal manner which are proceeds of crime. A vacation bench headed by Justice Dipankar Datta is scheduled to hear Soren’s plea against his arrest and interim bail on Tuesday. “Various Statements recorded under section 50 of PMLA, 2002, which establish that property admeasuring 8.86 acres, situated at Shanti Nagar, Near Lalu Khatal, Bariyatu is under illegal acquisition, possession and use of Hemant Soren and the same has been done in a camouflaged and concealed manner,” the agency said. Opposing the interim bail of Soren for campaigning during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, the ED said, “It is relevant to note that the right to campaign for an election is neither a fundamental right nor a constitutional right and not even a legal right.” AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesThe probe agency said that there is an active attempt on Soren’s part to subvert the investigation by misusing state machinery and project the proceeds of crime as “untainted through his stooges”. Soren was arrested on January 31 in the money-laundering case linked to the alleged land scam after he resigned as the Jharkhand chief minister. He has challenged a May 3 order of the Jharkhand High Court that dismissed his petition against his arrest by the ED. He has also sought interim bail for campaigning in the Lok Sabha polls till the court delivers its verdict on his plea against his arrest.

    On May 13, referring to the top court’s recent order in a money-laundering case involving Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Soren sought interim bail for campaigning in the election.

  • Arvind Kejriwal: Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest: AAP faces leadership crisis ahead of Lok Sabha election

    New Delhi: The arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged excise policy scam case has posed a leadership crisis question before the AAP as well as the Delhi government, with his wife Sunita Kejriwal and cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj being talked about as his possible replacement. The challenge before the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) now is to come up with a worthy leader who could handle both the party and its government in Delhi in absence of Kejriwal.

    However, it’s indeed a big task for the AAP leadership to come up with a name of a leader that at least comes closer to Kejriwal’s stature as convener of the party since its inception in 2012 and holding Delhi Chief Minister’s post for three terms spanning nearly a decade.

    The urgency of the task becomes even more pressing as the AAP is gearing up to contest the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Assam and Haryana in which Kejriwal was to be a key campaigner of the party. Apart from Sunita Kejriwal, a former IRS officer, the names of AAP government ministers Atishi and Bharadwaj too are taking rounds for the post of Delhi chief minister.

    Atishi, who holds the maximum number of portfolios in the Delhi government, including education, finance, PWD, revenue and services, is considered close to Arvind Kejriwal.

    She is also a frontline spokesperson of the party defending the AAP government and Kejriwal, and attacking the BJP in her regular press conferences and appearances on news channels. Likewise, Bharadwaj is also a prominent member of the Delhi Cabinet holding several important portfolios including health and urban development. He, too, is a well known face of the party, often engaged in defending the party and its leaders and counter-attacking the BJP and its government at the Centre on a range of governance-related and political issues.

    However, in December last year, the AAP launched a signature campaign ‘Mai Bhi Kejriwal’, asking people whether he should resign as Delhi chief minister or run the government from jail if arrested.

    During the campaign, the AAP supremo also met party MLAs and municipal corporation councilors in Delhi for their feedback on the issue.

    Bharadwaj recently told reporters in a press conference, “Nearly 90 per cent of people in this exercise opined that Kejriwal has the mandate of Delhi and he has been elected and hence, only he would run the government in Delhi no matter from where.”

    The AAP leadership also has to find a replacement of Kejriwal to head the party that runs governments in Delhi and Punjab besides having MLAs in Gujarat and Goa as well.

    In this area also, the options of the party are rather limited.

    Apart from Sunita Kejriwal, name of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Atishi too are taking rounds as leaders who could hold the responsibility of new AAP national convener.

  • Soren undertook ‘blatant’ misuse of power: ED tells PMLA court

    Ranchi, The ED on Wednesday produced WhatsApp chat records between former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and a close associate where information related to transfer and posting of state government officials involving “huge amount of money” is alleged to have been discussed. The Enforcement Directorate made the submission before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi while producing the 48-year-old JMM leader on the expiry of his five-day remand.

    After the ED informed the court of Special Judge Dinesh Rai that its investigation against Soren was “not restricted” to alleged fraudulent acquisition of a 8.5 acres land in Ranchi by him, but there are “several other properties linked to him (Soren)”, the court extended his custody by five days.

    Soren was arrested by the ED on January 31 from the Raj Bhavan after about seven hours of his questioning at his official residence at Kanke Road here. He resigned as the CM before the agency took him under custody. The ED told the court that during the time Soren was in its custody, “details of several other properties have also emerged, to which the accused person Shri Hemant Soren is neither divulging true information in his knowledge nor showing cooperation”.

    The federal agency said it was also undertaking raids in this case on Wednesday and it wanted to confront Soren with Bhanu Pratap Prasad, a revenue department sub- inspector, whom it has arrested in this case for allegedly conspiring with the former CM for allegedly acquiring 12 plots of land measuring about 8.5 acres.

    It informed the court that Soren was confronted with WhatsApp chats between him and his close associate Binod Singh which it claimed were “highly incriminating and contain details of several properties and had several confidential documents”. These chats “not only include exchange of confidential information regarding several properties but other incriminating information relating to transfer and posting, sharing of government records, etc., out of which huge amount of money appears to have been generated and transacted”. The agency claimed that Binod Singh also had WhatsApp chats with several other persons regarding transfer and posting of officials and sharing of several admit cards of students appearing for competitive exams held by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission.

    While appending some pictures of the WhatsApp exchanges between Soren and Binod Singh, the ED said these were only “a few samples” and such conversations run in over 530 pages.

    The ED said it requested the politician to produce the mobile phone on which he had conversations with Binod Singh but he “deliberately” did not furnish the device to “conceal facts and stall investigation relating to suspected proceeds of crime”.

    “The proceeds of crime acquired by him is not only restricted to the investigation of the property measuring 8.5 acres but there are several other properties linked to him (Soren) and investigation to identify the said proceeds of crime and its trail of money is essentially required at this stage,” the agency said.

    The ED, seeking further remand of Soren, told the court that Soren undertook “blatant misuse of power in hampering and frustrating the evidences” linked to the 8.5 acre measuring immovable asset.

    The agency said it issued the first summons to Soren for questioning on August 8, 2023 and called him for recording of his statement six days later on August 14.

    It claimed that a man identified as Raj Kumar Pahan filed a petition before the circle officer of Baragai in Ranchi on August 16 saying some people have got illegal ‘jamabandi’ (documents of legal rights) of his land and requested the authorities to save his land.

    The land was resorted to Pahan on January 29 this year even as the agency said it was conducting raids in this case in Delhi that day, the ED said.

    It was alleged by the agency before the court that it seized documents related to this 8.5 acre land from the cupboard of Soren’s room that is located in a Delhi house.

    The agency also said that when it conducted the survey of this land in April last year, it met a ‘chowkidar’ (caretaker) posted at the property named Santosh Munda who told its officials that Soren and his wife Kalpana visited the property “two-three times”.

    It is evident, the ED said, Soren “acquired proceeds of crime and also indulged in corrupt practice and misuse of position for destruction of evidence in order to conceal the proceeds of crime acquired by him to keep himself away from the property measuring 8.5 acres”.

    The agency also told the court that as Soren was taken to the Jharkhand assembly on February 5 and therefore a “substantial time passed out in arrangements and bringing him back to its office for investigation”.

    The ED sought Soren’s enhanced custody to “ascertain the source of funds” through which the said land was acquired and to confront him and other accused.

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  • Delhi Liquor Policy Case: ED moves court after Arvind Kejriwal skips 5th summons, hearing on Feb 7 – The Economic Times Video

    Enforcement Directorate has moved to Rouse Avenue Court and filed a complaint against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for not complying with the summons issued by the agency in the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case. Court heard some submissions today and put up for February 7, for the remaining submissions and consideration.

  • hemant soren arrest: “Blow to Federalism”: Kharge, Priyanka Gandhi, Tejashwi assails Centre over Hemant Soren’s resignastion

    Reacting sharply to the resignation of Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that forcing Hemant Soren to resign is a blow to Federalism. In a post on ‘X’, Mallikarjun Kharge said, “One who will not go with PM Modi will go to jail. Imposing ED against Jharkhand Chief Minister, Hemant Soren and forcing him to resign is a blow to Federalism. Intimidating opposition leaders by making the provisions of PMLA draconian is part of the BJP’s tool kit.”He further said that the BJP’s work of destabilising the opposition governments one by one as part of a conspiracy was continuing. “Whoever went into the BJP’s washing machine is clean as white; who didn’t go was tainted. If democracy has to be saved from dictatorship, then the BJP will have to be defeated. We will not be afraid, Will continue to fight from Parliament to the streets,” he added.

    Meanwhile, reacting to the same, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that the aim of the BJP government was an opposition-free parliament, a democracy-free India, a question-free media, and a harmony-free public.

    “Opposition-free parliament, democracy-free India, question-free media and harmony-free public, this is the aim of the BJP government. Governments are being toppled one by one in all the states,” she said in a post on X, adding, “Opposition leaders are being harassed. Whoever does not join BJP will go to jail. Harassing Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji by imposing ED and forcing him to resign is a part of this malicious campaign.”She further said that the BJP has this illusion that it can crush the voice of 140 crore people. The public will answer for every atrocities, she added.Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav also sharply reacted to the ED’s move: “Bihar, Chandigarh and now Jharkhand! BJP has ruined democracy and federalism in a single week. It is not hidden from anyone what the central government is doing by destroying the impartiality of the investigating agencies due to the fear of electoral defeat and by making the agencies cells of the BJP,” he said.

    He further went on to say that the public will break the arrogance of the BJP. RJD is standing with Hemant Soren, he asserted.

    Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren resigned on Wednesday evening after over six hours of questioning by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the alleged land scam case.

    Champai Soren, the state transport minister and a loyalist of Hemant Soren, will step into his role as the Chief Minister.

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  • As Hemant Soren Remains ‘Untraceable’, Section 144 Imposed Around His Residence, Raj Bhavan |

    RANCHI: With the Enforcement Directorate (ED) tightening its noose around Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the state administration has imposed Section 144 under CrPc within 100 meters radius of his residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi on Tuesday. According to news agency ANI, the order will remain in force till 10 pm. During this period, any kind of protest or demonstration has been banned. “According to the information received, there is information about protests, demonstrations, rallies etc., by various organizations/parties. The possibility of such programs causing disruption in government work, disrupting traffic, creating law and order problems and disturbing public peace cannot be ruled out,” the order said.

     

    Section 144 CrPc imposed within 100 meters radius of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi pic.twitter.com/0A67WQykf5
    — ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2024

     

    This comes as the ED officials visited Soren’s Delhi home to question him in connection with a money laundering investigation.

    Will Record Statement Tomorrow: Soren

    Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Chief Minister, in a letter to the Enforcement Directorate, said he will record his statement before the agency officials at 1 pm on Wednesday at his residence. While accepting to record his statement, the Jharkhand chief minister alleged that questioning him at this time was more political and was meant to disrupt the functioning of his government.

    “You are well aware that the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly will be held between 2nd and 29th February 2024 and the undersigned will be pre-occupied with preparations for the same apart from other prior scheduled official engagements,” the letter written by Soren to ED’s Ranchi office said.

    “In these circumstances, your insistence to record a further statement of the undersigned on or before 31 January 2024 reeks of malice and reveals your political agenda to disrupt the functioning of the State Government and prevent an elected representative of the people from discharging his official duties,” Soren’s letter to the ED said.

    ED Seizes Soren’s BMW Car

    On Monday, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials seized a luxury car belonging to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren from his Delhi residence late on Monday, in connection with the ongoing probe into a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. Sources revealed that the BMW confiscated by the ED on Monday is believed to be acquired from the “proceeds of crime,” a significant development in the ongoing probe. Soren reportedly utilized this vehicle during his stays in the national capital, adding to the gravity of the seizure.

    Besides, the Enforcement Directorate team also recovered Rs 36 lakhs in cash from Soren’s Delhi residence, said sources.

     

    Section 144 CrPc imposed within 100 meters radius of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi pic.twitter.com/0A67WQykf5
    — ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2024

     

    Despite repeated summons, Soren has eluded interrogation, raising suspicions about his involvement in the case. He has notably ignored seven summons issued by the ED, with indications that he may contest them legally.

    Cat-And-Mouse Chase

    ED officials, determined to locate Soren, have scoured both Jharkhand Bhawan and his father’s residence, but to no avail. His chartered plane remained grounded at the Delhi Airport, further complicating the search. In a bid to counter the ED’s actions, Soren appears poised to challenge the ED summons in the Supreme Court, underscoring the escalating legal battle between the two parties.

    The Enforcement Directorate officials visited the residence of Soren in the national capital on Monday night for questioning him in connection with the alleged land scam case and said that the Jharkhand Chief Minister could not be located.

    What Are The Allegations Against Soren?

    The money laundering case, amounting to a staggering Rs 600 crore, alleges a widespread conspiracy involving the illicit transfer and sale of government land to developers. Notably, the ED has apprehended 14 individuals thus far, including high-ranking officials like IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan.

    Conspiracy By BJP: Soren

    However, Soren has vehemently denied the accusations, attributing them to a concerted effort to malign his reputation. He has rallied support from his party members, vowing to confront the purported conspirators head-on.

    Political Turmoil In Jharkhand

    The Jharkhand BJP has seized upon the situation, accusing Soren of evading authorities and undermining the state’s integrity. The BJP has now alleged that Soren has “gone missing.” “Today, the honour and respect of the people of Jharkhand were destroyed by our Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji, just by going missing,” BJP parliamentarian from Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, wrote on his X timeline. Reports about Soren’s alleged escape from his Delhi residence shrouded in secrecy and speculation, have further fuelled the controversy surrounding his involvement in the case. 

  • ED summons Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal again on January 18

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has again issued summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking him to appear before the agency on January 18.

    This is the fourth time Kejriwal has been summoned by the federal agency in connection with its ongoing money laundering probe into the Delhi Excise policy alleged scandal. Kejriwal was earlier summoned thrice by ED but he had previously declined to appear citing prior engagements linked to the now-concluded assembly elections.

    He was then asked to appear on December 21 and January 3 but Kejriwal skipped the summons calling them “politically motivated and illegal”. In February a local Court had taken cognisance of the supplementary charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its money laundering probe into the Delhi government’s now-scrapped liquor policy.

    The federal agency has alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) used the money raised from the Delhi liquor scam to fund the Goa election campaign.

    “Investigation of the trail of this kickback so far has revealed that part of these funds was used in the election campaign of the AAP,” the agency had alleged in its supplementary chargesheet.The charge sheet had mentioned an alleged call between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Indospirits owner Sameer Mahendru, an accused in the case, wherein Kejriwal allegedly asked him to carry on working with AAP communication’s incharge Vijay Nair.The agency had alleged in its charge sheet that Nair had arranged a meeting between Sameer Mahendru and Kejriwal over facetime where Kejriwal allegedly told the former that “Vijay is his boy and that Sameer should trust him and carry on with him.” Kejriwal, however, had described the allegations as “fiction”.

  • Kejriwal: Be it Arvind Kejriwal or Hemant Soren, every corrupt leader will be punished: BJP

    New Delhi, The BJP on Wednesday assailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren for repeatedly skipping the ED summons and asserted that every “corrupt leader” will be “punished” for their misdeeds under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rule. The party also questioned why Kejriwal did not approach the courts if he felt the action against him was politically motivated.

    “Gone are the days when corrupt leaders used to rule over the honest citizenry of the country. The only place for the corrupt leaders is behind bars and it is our firm resolve that every corrupt leader will be punished as per law,” BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has zero tolerance for corruption and the probe agencies have been given a “free hand” to work independently and take action against graft without any bias, the BJP leader stressed. Bhatia said that leaders will have to face the “consequences of their misdeeds and corruption” they have indulged in, “be it Kejriwal, Soren or anyone else”.

    “Such dramas will not help because Kejriwal knows that handcuffs are coming closer to him,” he alleged at a press conference at the BJP headquarters here.

    The “power of law” and the people’s faith are with the central probe agencies, he said. The BJP’s reaction came after AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal skipped the third summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise policy case and sent a written reply calling the notice illegal. Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Soren has also skipped as many as seven summons issued by the ED in a money laundering case.

    “Outright dishonest and sinister Arvind Kejriwal is shaking in fear and making one after another lame excuse to skip ED summons,” Bhatia claimed

    “It won’t be wrong to say that Kejriwal is afraid today because he knows that his arrest is imminent, he is aware that he is the kingpin and has no answers (to ED’s questions). That’s why he is trying to evade the process of law,” the BJP spokesperson told reporters at a press conference at the party headquarters.

    The BJP leader said it would have never happened in the history of independent India that someone “ordered” a probe agency to withdraw its summons.

    “But a corrupt and sinister Arvind Kejriwal tells ED to withdraw its summons. Mr Arvind Kejriwal, you are not above the law,” he charged, saying it is the right of the probe agencies to take action against corruption “as per evidence”.

    Bhatia contended that if Kejriwal felt that the ED had issued summons to him out of any alleged “political vendetta”, he should have approached the court seeking relief.

    “Why didn’t he approach court so far if the ED’s summonses are politically motivated? He is not able to muster the courage (to approach court) because he knows the truth that he is the kingpin of the liquor scam,” Bhatia further said.

    Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, arrested in connection with the case earlier, were just his “puppets”, he said.

    Kejriwal, who once used to talk about eradicating corruption in India, has himself become a “corrupt termite” in politics, and he has a misconception that he is above the law, Bhatia alleged.

    “Arvind Kejriwal, you have mastered the art of deceit, corruption and propaganda and this has become synonymous with you,” he charged.

    On AAP’s allegation that the BJP-led Centre is hatching a conspiracy to arrest Kejriwal to stop him from campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls, Bhatia said probe agencies are “honestly biting corrupts like eagles, seeking from them details of people’s hard-earned money”.

    “If you have not done any dishonesty, what is there to be scared of… Kejriwal should have appeared before the ED and answered its questions,” the BJP leader said, asking the AAP national convenor to “let the truth come out”.

    Bhatia also targeted the INDIA bloc of opposition parties, questioning their “silence” on the issue of corruption, and slammed Soren, whose party Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) is one of the constituents of the opposition alliance, for skipping the ED’s summons.

    “Hemant Soren evading the summons clearly reveals the same mindset that I have just discussed in the case of Arvind Kejriwal that first you loot, indulge in corruption and then when questions are asked and you are made accountable for your misdeeds and corruption, you evade the summons,” the BJP leader said.

    Referring to media reports claiming that Soren plans to step down as Jharkhand chief minister and install his wife Kalpana Soren as his successor in view of his “imminent arrest”, Bhatia said, “They (JMM) are preparing for the consequences of an arrest that could be made by the investigative agency as it comes under its domain.

    “But who have they selected (to replace Soren)? It’s again someone from his own family. All this is media speculation but it reveals the dynastic mindset (of the JMM leadership),” the BJP spokesperson said.

    “The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have always said that INDI alliance is synonymous with corruption. Their leaders are either in jail or on bail. And it is so because an honest government has given a free hand to the probe agencies so that they are not scared of anyone,” Bhatia said.

    “I would only say with full confidence that no corrupt (person) is above the law and no corrupt (person) will survive,” he said.

    Those who have committed corruption will be in jail no matter how many excuses they make. Their right place is behind bars, the BJP spokesperson said.

  • Tejashwi calls ED’s ‘Rs 600 crore crime proceeds’ claim rumours, says make panchnama public

    By PTI

    PATNA: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday dubbed as “rumours” the claim of the Enforcement Directorate that proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 600 crore were detected during searches on premises owned by him and close family members.

    The RJD leader, who is currently away in Delhi beside his wife who is expecting their first child, also said the BJP will be left embarrassed if he made public the “panchnama” (seizure list) signed after the raids.

    “Just recall, in 2007, transactions worth Rs 8,000 crore, including a mall and hundreds of land plots, were alleged”, tweeted Yadav, in an obvious reference to the alleged land-for-hotels scam pertaining to his father Lalu Prasad’s tenure as the railway minister.

    Now facing the heat in the land-for-jobs ‘scam’ pertaining to, roughly, the same period, Yadav also recalled his name being linked to a mall seized in Gurugram, which turned out to be owned by a private company.

    The RJD had threatened legal action against media outlets for “wrongly” reporting that Yadav, the party supremo’s son and heir apparent, owned the commercial establishment.

    ALSO READ | Land for jobs ‘scam’: Tejashwi skips CBI questioning, seeks fresh date

    “The BJP government (at the Centre) spreading rumours again, quoting sources. It should have asked its spin doctors to first settle the account on the previous operations, before coming up with the new tale of Rs 600 crore”, the RJD leader said.

    Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate said it has seized “unaccounted cash” of Rs 1 crore and “detected proceeds of crime worth Rs 600 crore” after it raided RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s family in connection with a money laundering case linked to the railways land-for-jobs ‘scam’.

    “Let them make public the panchnama (seizure list) signed after the raids. If we do so on our own, think of the embarrassment that these BJP leaders will have to face”, added Yadav, who peppered his two tweets with quite a few smileys to assert that he was taking it all on the chin.

    The ED had launched raids on Friday at multiple locations linked to Prasad’s family members, including that of his son Tejashwi in Delhi.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation had recently questioned Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi — former chief ministers of Bihar — in the case.

    ALSO READ: Lalu furious over pregnant daughter-in-law’s harassment during ED raids

    PATNA: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav on Saturday dubbed as “rumours” the claim of the Enforcement Directorate that proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 600 crore were detected during searches on premises owned by him and close family members.

    The RJD leader, who is currently away in Delhi beside his wife who is expecting their first child, also said the BJP will be left embarrassed if he made public the “panchnama” (seizure list) signed after the raids.

    “Just recall, in 2007, transactions worth Rs 8,000 crore, including a mall and hundreds of land plots, were alleged”, tweeted Yadav, in an obvious reference to the alleged land-for-hotels scam pertaining to his father Lalu Prasad’s tenure as the railway minister.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Now facing the heat in the land-for-jobs ‘scam’ pertaining to, roughly, the same period, Yadav also recalled his name being linked to a mall seized in Gurugram, which turned out to be owned by a private company.

    The RJD had threatened legal action against media outlets for “wrongly” reporting that Yadav, the party supremo’s son and heir apparent, owned the commercial establishment.

    ALSO READ | Land for jobs ‘scam’: Tejashwi skips CBI questioning, seeks fresh date

    “The BJP government (at the Centre) spreading rumours again, quoting sources. It should have asked its spin doctors to first settle the account on the previous operations, before coming up with the new tale of Rs 600 crore”, the RJD leader said.

    Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate said it has seized “unaccounted cash” of Rs 1 crore and “detected proceeds of crime worth Rs 600 crore” after it raided RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s family in connection with a money laundering case linked to the railways land-for-jobs ‘scam’.

    “Let them make public the panchnama (seizure list) signed after the raids. If we do so on our own, think of the embarrassment that these BJP leaders will have to face”, added Yadav, who peppered his two tweets with quite a few smileys to assert that he was taking it all on the chin.

    The ED had launched raids on Friday at multiple locations linked to Prasad’s family members, including that of his son Tejashwi in Delhi.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation had recently questioned Prasad and his wife Rabri Devi — former chief ministers of Bihar — in the case.

    ALSO READ: Lalu furious over pregnant daughter-in-law’s harassment during ED raids