Land-for-jobs scam: An aide of RJD chairman Lalu Prasad's family is detained by the ED

 Land-for-jobs scam: An aide of RJD chairman Lalu Prasad's family is detained by the ED

It is said that between 2004 and 2009, a number of individuals were assigned to Group "D" posts within different Indian Railway zones. In exchange, these individuals allegedly surrendered their property to AK Infosystems Private Limited and the relatives of the then-railway minister, Prasad.

Katyal is a former director of AK Infosystems Private Limited and a "close associate" of the supremo of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), according per the ED.

In connection with a money laundering probe into the suspected land-for-jobs scam case, the Enforcement Directorate has detained Amit Katyal, an accused aide of RJD chairman Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav, official sources reported on November 11.

They added that on November 10, after being questioned, Katyal was taken into custody by the agency and then arrested. It is anticipated that he will appear before a local court, where the ED will request his detention in order to question him.

Katyal had been dodging the agency's summons for interrogation for around two months, according to sources. Recently, the Delhi High Court denied his request to have the ED summons against him dismissed.

In March, the federal agency searched Katyal's properties after covering those of Lalu Prasad, Tejashwi Yadav, the deputy chief minister of Bihar, his sisters, and others.

Katyal is a former director of AK Infosystems Private Limited and a "close associate" of the supremo of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), according per the ED. Tejashwi Yadav was using AK Infosystems Private Limited, an apartment complex in New Friends Colony, south Delhi, which is purportedly a "beneficiary company" in the case.

The alleged fraud concerns the time when Prasad served as the UPA-1 government's minister of railways. It is said that between 2004 and 2009, a number of individuals were assigned to Group "D" posts within different Indian Railway zones. In exchange, these individuals allegedly surrendered their property to AK Infosystems Private Limited and the relatives of the then-railway minister, Prasad.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made a complaint that led to the ED filing a case under the PMLA's criminal provisions.

The CBI claims that while there was no public notice or advertising for the position, several Patna citizens were named as stand-ins in various zonal railroads located in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hazipur.

In exchange, the CBI has claimed that the candidates sold land to Prasad's family at steep discounts, as much as one-fourth to one-fifth of the going market prices, either directly or via members of their immediate families.