ED questions Lalu Prasad's daughter Ragini in land-for-jobs in railways case

Ragini Yadav deposed before the agency for questioning and her statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday recorded the statement of RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Ragini Yadav in a money laundering case linked to the alleged land-for-jobs in railways scam, sources said. Ragini Yadav deposed before the agency for questioning and her statement was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency had raided the premises of Ragini Yadav, her sisters Chanda Yadav and Hema Yadav, and former RJD MLA Abu Dojana in Patna, Phulwari Sharif, Delhi-NCR, Ranchi and Mumbai in March this year.

The ED had on Monday questioned and recorded the statement of Ragini Yadav's brother and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in this case. A third child of Lalu Prasad, RJD MP Misa Bharti, was also questioned by the ED in this case on March 25, the same day Tejashwi Yadav had deposed before the CBI.

Both the central agencies recently initiated action in the case, with the CBI questioning Lalu Prasad and his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and the ED carrying out raids against the RJD chief's family. The ED, after the searches, said it seized "unaccounted cash" of Rs 1 crore and detected proceeds of crime worth Rs 600 crore. It said the investigation was underway to unearth more investments made on behalf of Prasad's family and their associates in various sectors, including real estate, at various places.

The alleged scam pertains to the period when Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government. It is alleged by the agencies that during the period 2004-09, various persons were appointed to Group D positions in various zones of the Indian Railways, and in lieu, the persons concerned transferred their land to the family members of Lalu Prasad, the then minister of railways, and A K Infosystems Pvt Ltd, a beneficiary company in this case.

It is alleged by the CBI that no advertisement or public notice was issued for the appointment but some residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different zonal railways located at Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur and Hazipur.

As a quid pro quo, the candidates, directly or through their immediate family members, allegedly sold land to the family members of Prasad at highly discounted rates, up to one-fourth to one-fifth of the prevailing market rates, the CBI had alleged. Denying the allegations,Tejashwi Yadav, after the questioning of his parents by the CBI, had told reporters that the then railway minister Prasad had "no powers" to give employment in exchange for favours. (PTI)