Rabri Devi and Misa Bharti Among Those Named in ED’s First Charge Sheet for Railways Land-for-Jobs Money Laundering Case

The accused named in the charge sheet include Hema Yadav, an alleged close associate of the Yadav family, Amit Katyal, a railway employee, and alleged beneficiary Hridayanand Chaudhary. Additionally, two firms, A K Infosystems Pvt. Ltd. and A B Exports Pvt. Ltd., and their common director Shariqul Bari, have also been implicated.

The alleged scam revolves around the period when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government. It is claimed that between 2004 and 2009, individuals were appointed to Group “D” positions in various zones of the Indian Railways. In return, these appointees transferred their land to the family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav and a linked company named A K Infosystems Private Limited.

A K Infosystems Private Limited is alleged to be a beneficiary company, and its registered address was reportedly used by Tejashwi Yadav. The ED had previously mentioned that Amit Katyal, a director of this company, was arrested in November last year. A B Exports Pvt Ltd, described as a “shell” or fake company, is owned by Tejashwi Yadav and Chanda Yadav, and its registered address is the same New Friends Colony bungalow used by the former.

Rabri Devi and Hema Yadav are alleged to have sold four land parcels, acquired from appointees in the Railways, “illegally” to Meridian Construction India Ltd. The proceeds from these sales were then transferred through various transactions to A B Exports Pvt Ltd and Bhagirathi Tubes, respectively. The ED had previously claimed that Rabri Devi and Hema Yadav sold the land parcels for Rs 3.5 crore, against an acquisition cost of Rs 7.5 lakh, resulting in substantial gains.

The money laundering case, filed under the PMLA, originated from a complaint by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Lalu Prasad Yadav, Rabri Devi, and Tejashwi Yadav were granted bail by a trial court in October in the CBI case. The CBI alleges that individuals were appointed without public notice, and in return, land was sold to Prasad’s family members at highly discounted rates.

As part of the investigation, the ED attached assets worth more than Rs 6 crore belonging to Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti, and linked companies last year. The agency conducted raids in various locations, including Patna, Phulwari Sharif, Delhi-NCR, Ranchi, and Mumbai in March 2023.