Misa Bharti's Delhi farmhouse attached by ED

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday attached RJD chief Lalu Prasad's parliamentarian daughter Misa Bharti's farmhouse in south Delhi in connection with a money laundering case, an official said.

"A farmhouse owned by Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar in Bijwasan area has been attached by ED," the ED official told IANS on condition of anonymity.

Palam Farms was allegedly bought from the money raised through a shell company M/s Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd, owned by Bharti and her husband, he said.

The Income Tax Department is probing how shell companies were used by Lalu Prasad and his family to buy expensive properties in Delhi and Patna.

In July, the ED charge-sheeted around 35 people, including Chartered Accountant Rajesh Agrawal and businessmen brothers Surendra Jain and Virendra Jain.

Agrawal was accused of helping Shailesh's company Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd with some transactions.

The ED officials claimed that one of the beneficiaries of Jain brothers was Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd, who laundered unaccounted money of Rs 1.20 crore via accommodation entries, share capital and share premium of shell companies controlled by Jain brothers and others.

The agency said the laundered money of Rs 1.2 crore was utilised to purchase the Bijwasan farmhouse.

"During investigation against Jain brothers, Jagat Projects Ltd and others, it was found that 1,20,000 shares of Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd were bought during 2007-08 and 2008-09 at Rs 100 per share, by four shell companies -- Shalini Holdings Limited, Ad-Fin Capital Services (India) Pvt Ltd, Mani Mala Delhi Properties Pvt Ltd, and Diamond Vinimay Pvt Ltd," the agency said in a statement

"The 1,20,000 shares were bought by Misa Bharti at Rs 12 per share in 2009," it said.

Earlier, in this case, the ED searched premises of Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd at Bijwasan and residential premises of its directors Shailesh Kumar and Bharti at Ghitorni and Sainik Farms here.

Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd was registered at 25, Tuglaq Road, New Delhi, which was then the official address of Lalu Prasad, till the shares were bought by Bharti. It was only during 2009-10 that the address was changed to Farm number 26, Palam Farms, Bijwasan, New Delhi.

--IANS

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