Misa Bharti probe: ED attaches Delhi farmhouse belonging to Lalu's daughter

ED has provisionally attached the farmhouse under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday attached a Delhi farmhouse in connection with its money laundering probe against RJD chief Lalu Prasad's MP daughter Misa Bharti and her husband.

The farmhouse, located at 26, Palam farms in south Delhi's Bijwasan area has been attached provisionally under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

It belongs to Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar and is "held in the name of Ms Mishail Packers and Printers Private Limited", the central probe agency said.

"It was purchased using Rs 1.2 crore involved in money laundering in the year 2008-09," the ED alleged.

The agency had also conducted raids at this location and few others in July as part of its probe against two brothers, Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain, and others who have been alleged to have laundered several crore rupees using shell companies.

The Jain brothers were arrested by the ED under the PMLA.

It had also arrested a chartered accountant, Rajesh Agrawal, who mediated and provided a cash amount of "Rs 90 lakh to the Jain brothers in advance so as to invest in Ms Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd as share premium".

One of the firms that the arrested duo dealt with was Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited.

Bharti and her husband are alleged to have been directors of this firm in the past.

"The company, Ms Mishail Packers and Printers, was registered at the address 25, Tuglak Road, New Delhi till the shares were bought by Bharti.

"It was only during the year 2009-10 that the address was changed to farm no 26 Palam Farms, VPO Bijwasan, New Delhi. Bharti and Kumar were the directors of the company during the relevant period," it said.

The couple was also interrogated and their statements recorded by the agency in this probe case.

The agency said the Jain brothers, CA Agrawal and the daughter and the son-in-law of the former Bihar chief minister were the "key persons behind the money laundering of Rs 1.20 crore".