Bikaner land deal case: ED raids premises of Robert Vadra's associates

The Enforcement Directorate(ED) today raided the premises of Robert Vadra's associates in connection with the Bikaner land deal issue. Robert Vadra who is the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi has been under the scanner in the land deal for over two years.

The investigation relates to the purchase of 275 bighas(109acres) allegedly by the company in the Kolayat area of Bikaner. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate had said in the complaint that the government land in 34 villages of Bikaner to be used for expanding the army's firing range in the area was allegedly grabbed by the land mafia operating in the area which prepared forged and fabricated documents with the help of government officials.

Enforcement Directorate officials also searched the house of Vadra's close aides, Mahesh Nagar and Ashok Kumar's properties also under the scanner in the controversial land deal case.

Mahesh Nagar is the power attorney holder on behalf Skylight Hospitality, the company which is linked to Vadra.

Raids are currently being conducted in three places in Faridabad, out of which two are located in Buapur village of Faridabad and one in the outskirts of the city.

Last week, the Enforcement Directorate had attached properties worth Rs. 4 crores of individuals linked to Vadra, in connection with the money laundering probe in the Bikaner land deal case.

The ED had also issued a notice to the firm under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED also sent a notice to Vadra's firm seeking details of its financial and land deals.

The Rajasthan government had cancelled the transfer of land of 374.44 hectares two years ago after the land department claimed to have found that the allotments were made in the names of illegal private persons.

On May 6, 2016, the ED conducted searches of eight premises in Bikaner and nearby areas in connection to the case and registered a money laundering case against certain real estate developers and Rajasthan government officials to probe the Bikaner land scam. 

(ANI)