ED raids eight locations in Rajasthan

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted searches at eight locations in Rajashthan's Bikaner district in connection with a land grab case allegedly involving a company linked to Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra.

The agency carried out raids at eight locations in Bikaner and its nearby areas in Kolayat region belonging to the accused Jay Prakash Bagadwa, who was arrested on July 20 last year, ED said in a statement.

ED spokesperson A.K. Rawal told IANS that some of the people involved in the Kolayat land scam had manipulated land records and then sold it to Vadra.

Besides Bagadwa, the agency also carried out raids at the premises of Ranjeet Singh, Kishore Singh, Gugan Gir and certain retired government officials Faqir Mohammad, Uma Charan, Deeparam and Mahavir Swamy, it said.

During the searches details of various properties of substantial value belonging to the accused person were revealed and documents related to properties, bank accounts, ITRs etc. were seized by the investigating agency.

The agency claimed that certain documents seized from the premises of Bagadwa reveal his association during the land scam.

Bagadwa, who was chairman of Loonkaransar Krishi Mandi from 2006 to 2011, in connivance with revenue department officials, allegedly prepared fake mutation (transfer of ownership) papers for around 360 hectares of land in Bikaner's Kolayat region.

The land was fraudulently allocated to villagers under a rehabilitation programme, which was then bought by companies including some allegedly owned by Vadra.

ED had earlier filed a case against Vadra in connection with a land scam in Bikaner in 2015. The case was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

Till date Rajasthan Police have filed 18 chargesheets in this case.

--IANS

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