New Delhi:
The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday raided RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Misa Bharti. Raids are underway at 3 locations including farmhouse in Delhi.
Sleuths of the central probe agency swooped on the farmhouses in Ghitorni, Bijwasan and Sainik Farms areas here early morning.
The farmhouses are linked to Bharti, her husband Shailesh Kumar and M/s Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited.
Two more premises are under the scanner of the agency and can be searched later, an ED official said.
The searches are connected to a money laundering probe being conducted by the agency against two brothers, Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain, and others who are alleged to have laundered several crore rupees using shell companies.
The Jain brothers were arrested by the ED under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
One of the firms that the arrested duo dealt with was M/s Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited. Bharti and her husband are alleged to have been directors of this firm in the past.
The agency said it was detected that 1,20,000 shares of M/s Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited were bought during 2007-08 at a rate of Rs 100 per share by four shell companies—M/s Shalini Holdings Limited, M/s Ad-Fin Capital Services (India) Pvt. Ltd, M/s Mani Mala Delhi Properties Pvt. Ltd., and M/s Diamond Vinimay Pvt. Ltd.
These 1,20,000 shares, it said, were bought back by Bharti at Rs 10 per share.
The ED had also arrested Rajesh Agarwal, a Chartered Accountant allegedly linked to Bharti, who provided accommodation entries (black funds) of about Rs 60 lakh to M/s Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited.
The firm, it said, was registered at 25, Tughlaq Road here till the shares were bought back by Bharti. In 2009-10, the address was changed to Bijwasan, it added.
Earlier on Friday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday registered a case against RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, his son and others on allegations of awarding tender for hotels in Ranchi and Puri. When this tender was given in 2006, Lalu was Railway Minister.
Searches related to the case were being conducted at 12 locations including Delhi, Patna, Ranchi, Puri and Gurgaon.
"There was no irregularities in issuing tender. I didn't do any wrong. I have been targeted after speaking against BJP. This is political conspiracy against me. Country's situation is bad," said Lalu Yadav.
Also read: Income Tax Department issues fresh summons to Misa Bharti; slaps Rs 10 K penalty on her
