Patna: The CBI on Wednesday arrested RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's confidant and former MLA Bhola Yadav in the IRCTC scam and land for job case. The Income tax department conducted raids at four locations associated with Bhola, including his parental house in Darbhanga.
Bhola, who is considered a close confidant of Lalu Prasad, served as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) when Lalu was railway minister during 2004 to 2009. CBI has already registered a case against Lalu and his family member in connection with land-for-job case for which the CBI sleuths had searched 16 locations connected to Lalu and his family members on May 21.
According to the sources, Bhola has been arrested in the same case in which Lalu and his family members accepted land in return from candidates as a gift or at discounted rates. It was also alleged that the candidates gifted their land for Group D jobs in railway on throwaway prices.
The CBI arrested Bhola because he was Lalu's OSD and was therefore well-aware of all the deals that the leader may have finalised. It is believed that Lalu had helped more than 100 people from Bihar to get railway jobs in different zones in lieu of money and land illegally. Bhola has also served as the MLA from the Bahadurpur assembly, but he fell out of power after losing from the Haighaat seat in 2020.
The CBI had conducted raids at Rajya Sabha member Misa Bharti's residence in Delhi as well in May 2022. It was alleged that Lalu had taken undue advantage of his post in the form of transferring landed property in the names of his family members.
So far, Bhola was not in the grip of the CBI and it was anticipated that sooner or later, he too would be interrogated in the case being one of Lalu's closest aides. Sources speculate that the main reason behind Bhola's arrest is the access he has to all the minute details of the Lalu family.
As per sources four days back, Bhola was called to CBI headquarters for questioning in the IRCTC scam and land for job case and today he was arrested in Delhi itself. CBI will appear at Patiala Court and will seek remand from the court for further questioning.
BJP leader and road construction department minister Nitin Naveen said that the way Lalu has cheated the youth by offering jobs in lieu of land in the railway, this was bound to happen. Reacting on the arrest of Bhola Yadav, the RJD spokesperson and former MLA Shakti Yadav termed it a politically motivated move.
“It is a politically motivated move to take revenge, and agencies are being misused by the centre. It has not been proved yet that land was accepted in lieu of giving railway jobs. It is a baseless allegation. Whoever goes against BJP faces such charges which are mostly baseless. Bhola Yadav was just an OSD, he had no power to give a job. It is very unfortunate that he has been arrested," MLA Shakti Yadav said.
