The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday conducted raids on at least 25 locations linked to the Rashtriya Janata Dal leaders in connection with the alleged land-for-job scam. The locations included an under-construction mall in Gurugram believed to being built by a firm owned by Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, officials said. The searches are being carried out in Delhi, Gurugram, Patna, Madhubani, and Katihar among others. The under-construction Urban Cubes mall in sector 71 of Gurugram is being constructed by a company Whiteland in which Yadav's family has a stake in ownership, they said.
These other locations included residences of RJD MPs Ashfaque Karim, Faiyaz Ahmad, RJD MLC Sunil Singh, and former RJD MLC Subodh Roy in Patna. The raids were being conducted on the day the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government will undergo the floor test.
Bihar | CBI raid underway at the residence of former RJD MLC Subodh Roy in Patna.
— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2022
Raids are underway at the residences of RJD leaders Sunil Singh, Ashfaque Karim and Faiyaz Ahmad as well in connection with the alleged land-for-job scam. pic.twitter.com/fHOqOvWAdM
"It is being done intentionally. There is no meaning to it. They are doing it thinking that out of fear, MLAs will come in their favor," said Sunil Singh, a close aide of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav.
Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over the raids, RJD RS MP Manoj Jha said, "Useless to say that it's raid by ED or IT or CBI, it's a raid by BJP. They work under BJP now, their offices run with BJP script. Today is Floor Test (in Bihar Assembly) and what's happening here? It has become predictable. Our Deputy CM had said in the meeting yesterday that they will reach this level now. It didn't take even 24 hours. They stooped down even lower. What is this anger? That a government didn't run as per you? That it changed the alliance for public welfare?"
On July 27, the CBI arrested Bhola Yadav, then Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, in connection with the scam.
The CBI had filed an FIR on May 18 against Lalu, 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 Lalu's family members by making payments to the sellers in cash.
The candidates were appointed as substitutes in group D positions within three days of applying in "undue haste" by Railway officials and were later regularised "in lieu thereof the individuals themselves or their family members transferred their land," according to the agency. The transfers were made through three sale deeds in the name of Rabri Devi and one in the name of Misa Bharti and two gift deeds in the name of Hema Yadav, the agency alleged.
First Published: Aug 24, 2022 9:59 AM IST
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