Patna, Jul 31 (IANS): The JD-U which is in alliance with the RJD in Bihar, on Monday defended former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad after the Enforcement Directorate attached properties worth Rs 6.02 crore belonging to his family members. 

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) spokesperson Abhishek Jha said: "It was an attempt to apply pressure on Lalu Prasad. The motive of the BJP is clear -- to weaken INDIA. I want to tell them that such a ploy would not work. INDIA is intact."

Lalu Prasad, also a former Bihar chief minister, is the president of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has attached six immovable properties wort Rs 6.02 crore belonging to the family members of former Union Railway Minister and ex-Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad in connection with an investigation into a money laundering case related to the land for job scam case.

An official said that the attached properties belong to Rabri Devi -- wife of Lalu Prasad; Misa Bharti -- daughter of Lalu Prasad; Vineet Yadav -- husband of Hema Yadav (Lalu Prasad's daughter); Shiv Kumar Yadav -- father-in-law of Hema Yadav; AB Exports Pvt Ltd and AK Infosystem Pvt Ltd -- both companies owned and controlled by family members of Lalu Prasad.

The ED initiated an investigation under the PMLA based on an FIR lodged by the CBI against Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi and others.

In this case, seven land parcels were acquired by family members of Lalu Prasad (the then Minister for Railways during the period 2004-09) from the candidates appointed (as Substitutes) and their family members.

"The investigation by the ED revealed that the family members of candidates gifted land (at cheap rates/lesser than the circle rate) to family members of Lalu Prasad and associated companies in lieu of job which was given in a malafide manner with undue haste and in violation of extant law and procedure," said the official.

The ED further stated that this criminal conspiracy to abuse his official position for the sake of seeking bribes led to accretion of the land parcels by his family members at Mahuabagh (Danapur) and Bihta, Patna.

Earlier, in this case, searches were also conducted at 24 locations by the ED at various places in Delhi NCR, Patna, Mumbai and Ranchi including the residences of Hema Yadav, Ragini Lalu, Chanda Yadav and residential and commercial premises of Amit Katyal, Navdeep Sardana, Abu Dojana and Suman Nayak, CA.

The searches resulted in the recovery of unaccounted cash of Rs 1 crore; foreign currencies including $1,900; 540 gm gold and over 1.5 kg of gold jewellery (worth Rs 1.25 crore approximately) and several other incriminating documents indicating illegal accretion of a huge land bank.