Lalu, family members in CBI net over railway tender irregularities

The CBI on Friday filed a corruption case and carried out raids at the residences of RJD leader Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri and son Tejashwi Yadav, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, for alleged irregularities in leasing two railway hotels to a private company when he was the Railways Minister.

Scores of sleuths from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) carried out raids at least a dozen locations, including the residences of Lalu Prasad and his family members in Delhi, Gurugram, Patna, Ranchi and Bhubaneswar.

CBI Additional Director Rakesh Asthana said Lalu Prasad had allegedly granted illegal favours to Sujata Hotels through the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) when he was the Railway Minister from 2004 to 2009.

Asthana said the private company was favoured and the tender process for the development, maintenance and operation of the hotels in Ranchi and Puri was manipulated in exchange for a three-acre land plot in Patna where a mall is being built.

"When Lalu Prasad was the Railway Minister, the tender of BNR Hotels of the railways was given to Sujata Hotels," he said.

"Three acres of land in western Patna was transferred by Delight Marketing Company Pvt Ltd that is known to the Yadav family," he said, and added that between 2010 and 2014, this land was transferred to another company owned by the Yadav family's Lara Projects at a very low cost.

"Transfer took place at a low price. The land was valued at Rs 32 crore as per the circle rates and the market rate was Rs 94 crore at the time. It was transferred to Lara Projects at nearly Rs 65 lakh," said Asthana.

He said the case was registered on July 5 under sections 420, 120 B of the Indian Penal Code and sections 13 and 13 1 B of Prevention of Corruption act.

Also named in the case are former IRCTC Managing Director P.K. Goyal and the wife of Lalu's confidante Prem Chand Gupta.

--IANS

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