New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS): The Centre Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting raids at 16 places in Delhi, Patna and district Gopalganj of Bihar in connection with the alleged land-for-job scam involving former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad.
The raids are also being held at the residence of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLC Sunil Singh, who is considered to be close to Lalu. The CBI team is currently scanning various documents at his house.
The CBI had learnt during the probe that Lalu's wife Rabri Devi and daughter Hema Yadav were gifted land in connection with the scam by job seekers who were later appointed in the railways.
Haridayanand Chaudhary, a railway employee and Bhola Yadav, the then OSD to former former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad were earlier arrested by the CBI. Bhola was Lalu's OSD between 2004 to 2009.
The CBI registered a case against Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, two daughters and 15 others, including unknown public servants and private persons.
"During the period 2004-2009 Yadav had obtained pecuniary advantages in the form of transfer of landed property in the name of his family members in lieu of appointment of Substitutes in Group 'D' Post in different zones of Railways," the official said.
A number of residents of Patna or through their family members sold and gifted their lands in the state capital in favour of the family members of Lalu Prasad and a private company controlled by the former chief minister and his family and they were also involved in transfer of such immovable properties.
"No advertisement or any public notice was issued for such appointment 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 Hajipur.
"In continuation of this modus operandi, about 1,05,292 Sq. feet land, immovable properties situated at Patna were acquired by Yadav and his family members through five sales deeds and two gift deeds, showing the payment made to the seller in cash in most of the land transfers," the CBI official said.