Patna | Jagran News Desk: Days after his release in fodder scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday booked RJD supremo and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav in a fresh case of corruption related to the land for railway job scam. The CBI has charged Lalu with taking land from aspirants in return for jobs in the railways. The alleged land-for-jobs scam pertains to the period when Lalu Prasad Yadav was the railway minister in the UPA government.
According to the sources, quoted by news agency ANI, the CBI has also booked Lalu's daughter -- Misa Bharti -- in the case. Meanwhile, the CBI is also raiding 17 locations in Delhi and Bihar related to Lalu Prasad Yadav. Morning visuals showed heavy police presence outside the residence of Lalu Yadav's wife Rabri Devi in Patna.
#WATCH Police presence outside the Patna residence of former Bihar CM Rabri Devi as CBI conducts raids at multiple locations of RJD Chief Lalu Yadav in a fresh case relating to alleged 'land for railway job scam'#Bihar pic.twitter.com/mwIdvdT9N3
— ANI (@ANI) May 20, 2022
A CBI source said that a fresh case was recently lodged against Lalu and others for accepting bribes from unemployed youths and cheating them on the pretext of providing them jobs in the government sector.
"Yadav, when he was the Union minister, through his aide or directly told the innocent persons that he would help them get government jobs. And they took land from the job seekers. However, the jobs were not provided to all," the source, as quoted by IANS, said.
When asked how many such land pieces were acquired by Lalu and others through this, the source said they were making a list. The CBI officials are also recording the statements of those who are present at the locations.
This comes weeks after the RJD leader was granted bail in the Rs 950-crore fodder scam case. The 73-year-old veteran leader walked out of jail last month after the Jharkhand High Court granted him bail in the Rs 139 crore Doranda Treasury scam case, in which the CBI special court had sentenced him to five years in prison.
Meanwhile, RJD supporters have started to protest across Patna over the raids by the CBI. Lalu Prasad's brother Prabhunath Yadav said that Lalu is being deliberately troubled. "It is unfortunate that a person who is ill is being deliberately troubled like this. It is well known who is behind this", Prabhunath Yadav said.