Benami deal: CBI raids Lalu, kin properties

Jitendra Shrivastava & Syed Ali Ahmed

Patna/New Delhi, July 7

The  CBI today carried out raids on the residences of RJD leader Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejaswi Yadav, Bihar's Deputy CM, after registering a fresh case for “manipulation” in allotting the contract for the maintenance and operation of two hotels run by a subsidiary of the Indian Railways — IRCTC — when Lalu was Railway Minister.

The searches, which began at 7 am and included Rabri Devi's Circular Road residence in Patna, were spread across 12 locations in Patna, Ranchi, Gurugram and Bhubaneswar. 

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The premises of Lalu confidant Prem Chand Gupta,  whose wife Sarla Gupta is listed as an accused in the FIR, were raided too.

An angry  Lalu trained his guns at PM Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah as he arrived in Patna from Ranchi, claiming the BJP would be rooted out “even if I am hanged”.  

He alleged the BJP had been trying to create cracks in the grand alliance, but would not succeed. Lalu was in Ranchi to appear before a CBI court when the raids were carried out. 

During the 10-hour raid at Lalu’s 10 Circular Road residence, CBI officials allegedly seized some documents and gathered electronic evidences against Lalu’s family. They are said to have quizzed Rabri Devi and her son Tejaswi and recorded their statements. 

Lalu is alleged to have committed irregularities in awarding the tender for maintenance of hotels, including BNR in Ranchi and Puri, when he was Railway Minister (2004-09). The tender was allegedly allotted to Sujata Hotel Pvt Limited owned by Vinay and Vijay Kochhar after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna through a benami company owned by Sarla Gupta. Bihar’s biggest mall was being constructed on this land. 

It is alleged that Vinay Kochhar on February 25, 2005, sold commercial property in the form of three acres of land in Patna through 10 sale deeds for Rs 1.47 crore to Delight Marketing, in which Sarla Gupta was a director as a benami holder on behalf of Lalu. The land was sold much below the market rate. The plot was shown as agriculture land to evade stamp duty.

CBI Additional Director Rakesh Asthan said the conspiracy spanned 2004-14 during which the tender process was “rigged” in favour of Sujata Hotels. “In return, the owners of Sujata Hotel gave three acres of land in Patna to Delight Marketing at a low rate. Subsequently, the land was transferred to another company, Lara Projects, owned by Lalu’s family members,” he said.

The CBI has rgistered a case  under Section 120-B and 420 of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act against Sarla Gupta, Vijay Kochhar, Vinay Kochhar (both directors of Sujata Hotels), Delight Marketing Company, now known as Lara Projects, and the then IRCTC MD, PK Goel.