Benami transaction charges against Lalu Yadav’s family, properties seized; ‘politics of vendetta’, says Tejashwi

This comes a day after the IT department provisionally attached a few immovable properties in connection with its probe in the Rs 1,000 crore benami land deals and tax evasion case allegedly involving family members of Lalu Prasad. According to IT officials, two assets, a house and a land in Delhi, have been attached after the department issued a provisional order under the Benami Transactions Act, 1988, that came into force on November 1 last year.

They said the assets are in the benami possession and the action has been taken after the department carried out raids in this case last month. The value of the attached properties could not be ascertained immediately. Benami properties are those in which the real beneficiary is not the one in whose name the property has been purchased. Both Bharti and her husband have skipped I-T summons in the past.

The RJD chief, however, had sought to put up a brave face after the raids, saying he was “not scared at all” and would continue to fight against “fascist forces”. “BJP mein himmat nahi hai ki Lalu ki awaz ko daba sake… Lalu ki awaz dabayenge to desh bhar me karoron Lalu khare ho jayenge… Main gidarbhabhki se nahi darne wala hoon (BJP does not have the courage to stifle my voice… If it tries to silence one Lalu, crore of Lalu will come forward. I am not scared of empty threats),” he had said in a series of tweets after the search operation.

Following are the details of the attached property:

1. Farm no: 26, Palam Farms, Bijvasan, Delhi.

Benamidars: Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt. Ltd.

Beneficiary: Misa Bharti and Shailesh Kumar

Book Value: Rs. 1.4 cr

Market Value: Rs. 40 cr

2. 1088, New Friends Colony

Benamidars: AB Exports Pvt. Ltd.

Beneficiary: Tejasvi Yadav, Chanda and Ragini Yadav

Book Value: Rs. 5 cr

Market Value: Rs. 40 cr

3. Nine plots in Jalapur, PS Danapur, Patna

Benamidars: Delight Marketing Pvt. Ltd.

Beneficiary: Rabri Devi, Tejasvi Yadav

Book Value: Rs. 1.9 cr

Market Value: Rs. 65 cr

4. Three Plots in Jalapur, PS Danapur, Patna

Benamidars: AK Infosystems

Beneficiary: Rabri Devi, Tejasvi Yadav

Book Value: Rs. 1.6 cr

Market Value: Rs. 20 cr

Earlier, in this case, a chartered accountant, Rajesh Kumar Agrawal, allegedly linked to Bharti and others, was also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on May 22.

– PTI inputs