PATNA: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad’s close aide and former Bihar MLA Bhola Yadav in Delhi in connection with the “land-for-jobs” scam in the railways when Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-I government.
Later in the day, Yadav was produced before a special judge (CBI cases) at the Rouse Avenue Court complex in the national capital. The court handed over Yadav on a seven-day remand to the CBI for further questioning.
Land-for-jobs scam: CBI detains Lalu Prasad's former OSD Bhola Yadav
Yadav was the officer-on-special duty (OSD) to the then railway minister Lalu Prasad between 2005 and 2009.
The CBI also conducted searches at four premises -- two each in Darbhanga and Patna – belonging to Yadav and a private person, the CBI said in a statement issued to media on Wednesday.
The investigating agency also arrested a railway employee Hridayanand Chaudhary, who is an alleged beneficiary of the scam, the CBI said, adding, “Choudhary had transferred land in name of Hema Yadav, one of the seven daughters of Prasad, in lieu of a group ‘D’ job in the railways.”
Also known as the “Hanuman of the RJD boss Lalu Prasad” among his supporters and the RJD workers, Yadav was questioned by a team of CBI officials in Delhi for several hours before he was produced in the special CBI court.
“During investigation, it was found that Yadav, then OSD to former railway minister during the period 2005-2009, was involved in the alleged conspiracy in the appointment of the substitutes. It was further alleged that the accused was managing affairs in transfer of land by the family members of substitutes to the family members of former railway minister (Lalu) and also engaging substitutes in the railway. It was also alleged that the said accused had acquired some properties during the relevant period,” the CBI said in the statement.
“Earlier the CBI had registered a case on May 18, 2022 against the then railway minister Lalu and 15 others including his wife, their two daughters and unknown public servants and private persons. It was alleged that the then railway minister during the period 2004-2009 had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members etc in lieu of appointment of ‘Substitutes’ in Group “D” Post in different Zones of Railways. It was further alleged that in lieu thereof the substitutes, who were residents of Patna themselves or through their family members sold and gifted their land situated at Patna in favour of the family members of said minister and a private company controlled by his family members, which was also involved in transfer of such immovable properties in the name of said family members,” the CBI said.
“It was also alleged that no advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointments of substitutes in Zonal Railways, yet the appointees who were residents of Patna were appointed as Substitutes in different Zonal Railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur. It was further alleged that in continuation of this modus operandi, about 1,05,292 Square feet land/ immovable properties situated at Patna were acquired by family members of said minister through five sale deeds and two gift deeds, showing the payment made to seller in cash in most of the land transfer,” the investigating agency said on Wednesday.
“Searches were earlier conducted on May 20, 2022 at 16 places related to Lalu family and some other persons in Delhi, Patna and Bihar’s Gopalganj district,” a CBI official involved in investigation of the case told TOI on Wednesday.
He said the investigation is still going on and didn’t rule out more arrests in near future.
