Former Bihar minister and son booked in a case of fraud

A case was registered against a former Bihar minister and his son on Sunday here after an investigation found their involvement in a racket of defrauding people through impersonators posing as the private staff of a powerful leader of the ruling JD(U), police said.

According to Lipi Singh, Superintendent of Police, a case has been registered against Narendra Singh and his son Sumit Singh - both residents of the adjoining Jamui district - besides two others upon the statement of one Brajesh alias Bambam, who was among four persons arrested in August last year in connection with the racket.

The SP claimed that according to the statement given by Bambam, "corroborated by his mobile phone records", those involved in the racket used to pose as the personal assistant of Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh and swindle people with the promise of getting them jobs.

She also claimed Bambam, in his statement, has said that he along with other arrested accused was part of the racket, "masterminded by the father-son duo".

Lalan Singh, JD(U) leader in the Lok Sabha and a close confidant of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, was earlier a minister in the state.

It had also come to light during investigation that Bambam had similarly posed as the minister's PA for the purchase of a piece of land at Deoghar in the adjoining Jharkhand, the SP said.

The father-son duo had "mediated in the land transaction" involving Rs five crore and Bambam was "to get Rs one crore as his cut", the SP claimed.

Cases have been registered under relevant IPC sections against the father-son duo besides their accomplices whose names have cropped up during investigation and orders issued for their arrest, the SP said.

Narendra Singh had quit the JD(U) in 2015 when he joined the Hindustani Awam Morcha, floated by Jitan Ram Manjhi, who parted ways with Nitish Kumar upon being made to step down as chief minister and make way for his return to the seat of power.

Later, Singh quit Manjhi's party and formed his own outfit.