In relation to the alleged land-for-jobs fraud, the CBI searched nine locations in Bihar’s Patna and Arrah associated to Rashtriya Janata Dal politicians Kiran Devi, an MLA, and Arun Yadav, a former MLA.
In connection with the same suspected land-for-jobs scam, the CBI also carried out searches at the residences of Rajya Sabha MP Prem Chand Gupta in Noida, Delhi, and Gurugram.The CBI said that irregular appointments of candidates were made at Central Railways, in violation of the rules and processes established by Indian Railways for hiring, in its chargesheet submitted earlier in connection with the suspected land-for-job scam.As a quid-pro-quo, the candidates directly or through their immediate relatives/family members, sold land to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav (then Union Railway Minister) at highly discounted rates up to one-fourth to one-fifth of the prevailing market rates, according to the CBI.
The agency further stated that investigation has revealed that Lalu Prasad Yadav during the period 2007-08, when he was Minister of Railways, with the intent to acquire the land parcels situated in Vill- Mahuabagh, Patna and Vill-Kunjwa, Patna which were located adjacent to the land parcels already owned by his family members; entered into a criminal conspiracy with his wife Rabri Devi, daughter Misha Bharati, officers of Central Railways namely Sowmya Raghvan the then General Manager, Kamal Deep Mainrai, the then Chief Personnel Officer, and residents of Vill-Mahjabagh, Patna and Vill-Bindaul, Bihta, Patna and Patna City namely Raj Kumar Singh, Mithlesh Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, Dharmendra Kumar, Vikas Kumar, Abhishek Kumar, Ravindra Ray, Kiran Devi, Akhileshwar Singh, Ramashish Singh.According to the CBI, all the candidates were subsequently regularised after their engagement as substitutes.
