Lalu's family charged under Benami Act; properties seized
RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's wife Rabri Devi and children have been charged under the Benami Transactions Act by the Income Tax department in connection with land deals worth ?1,000 crore and tax evasion. The department has seized a total of 12 plots belonging to Lalu's daughter Misa Bharti and her husband, ex-CM Rabri Devi, and Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav.
The Income Tax Department has conclusive evidence that RJD Chief kin laundered money by acquiring benami properties with help of known data entry operators.Sources said Income Tax Department has conclusive proof to show that Lalu's son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi, Tej, daughter Misa Bharti and her husband Sailesh have allegedly indulged in large scale money laundering. The Income Tax department has attached 12 plots of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's wife, son and daughters and charged them under the Benami Transactions Act in connection with its probe into land deals worth Rs 1,000 crore and tax evasion.They have taken accommodation entries through known entry operators SK Jain and Virender Jain with the help of CA Rajesh Agarwal. As per the department the properties have been acquired through cash or kind acquired through quid pro quo.  I-T Department has served notices of attachment of assets to Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar, his wife and former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav and daughters Chanda and Ragini Yadav.The department has attached immovable assets such as land, plots and buildings in Delhi and Patna which bear a "deed" value of Rs 9.32 crore but the taxman has estimated their current market value at Rs 170-180 crore.A total of nine plots in Phulwari Sharif in Patna, where a mall is reported to have been coming up, has also been attached by the tax department. According to the sources, Rabri's brother Prabhu Nath Singh allegedly got a plot of land, with two-storey structure near Phulwari Sharif at very cheap rates as quid pro quo. After a few years the property was given to Lalu's son in as a gift. Later a person called Amit Katyal purchased the property at a very high rate from them in his company named A K Infosys. Later Lalu's kin purchased all the shares of the company at the face value. This transaction made them the alleged benami owner of the property.During an extensive probe into the matter I-T Department had detected an obligation chain through cash or kind. I-T had carried out surveys in at least 22 places in NCR alone recently. The probe has now revealed that the transactions have been made in a circuitous manner through the help of known accommodation entry operators, who have been arrested by Enforcement Directorate recently.Their balance sheets, books of accounts and ledger don't match indicating poor accounting practices. Consequently they have left behind a trail of benami transactions. "They have made transactions through persons who are known for unfair practices. That's why it was easy to detect the illegal transactions," sources said.Delhi: Property of Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav & his sisters Ragini & Chanda in New Friends Colony, attached by IT dept today pic.twitter.com/VlYndRhUQs1. Farm no: 26, Palam Farms, Bijvasan, Delhi.Benamidars: Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt. Ltd.Beneficiary: Misa Bharti and Shailesh KumarBook Value: Rs. 1.4 crMarket Value: Rs. 40 cr2. 1088, New Friends ColonyBenamidars: AB Exports Pvt. Ltd.Beneficiary: Tejaswi Yadav, Chanda and Ragini YadavBook Value: Rs. 5 crMarket Value: Rs. 40 cr3. Nine plots in Jalapur, PS Danapur, PatnaBenamidars: Delight Marketing Pvt. Ltd.Beneficiary: Rabri Devi, Tejaswi YadavBook Value: Rs. 1.9 crMarket Value: Rs. 65 cr4. Three Plots in Jalapur, PS Danapur, PatnaBenamidars: AK InfosystemsBeneficiary: Rabri Devi, Tejaswi YadavBook Value: Rs. 1.6 crMarket Value: Rs. 20 crIncome Tax department has summoned Lalu's daughter Misa Bharti in the first week of July to come and give their submissions against the benami property transaction proceedings. The department has already provisionally attached their properties pending inquiry.Lalu Prasad Yadav has denied the allegations. He said Income Tax proceedings against his children is politically motivated.  Son Tejaswi Yadav said: "No one in my family has got income tax notice. Misa Bharti has also not got any income tax notice. If anyone has proof about benami properties they should present it or else apologise."Lalu's kin have 90 days time to give their submissions before the department. Falling which the department could begin realisation of taxes and even confiscation of the properties.  Also read:I-T department attaches Lalu's daughter Misa Bharti's Rs 50 crore assets Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti, her husband summoned by I-T department in money laundering case