Land for Jobs Scam: Lalu Prasad’s Associate Katyal Accused of ‘Acquiring’ Multiple Lands

Amit Katyal, recently apprehended in connection with the alleged money laundering case involving land-for-railway jobs, is accused by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of “acquiring” multiple lands from job aspirants on behalf of the RJD chief and former Union Railways Minister, Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Katyal was initially detained and subsequently arrested by the central agency on November 11 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). A local court in Delhi later remanded him to the agency’s custody until November 16, 2023.

The ED, in its statement issued on Monday, asserts that its investigation revealed Katyal’s directorship of a company named AK Infosystems Pvt. Ltd when the mentioned company “on behalf” of Lalu Prasad acquired land from candidates. The agency alleges that the registered address of the company, D-1088, New Friends Colony, New Delhi, belongs to Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members. Several other lands were purportedly acquired by Amit Katyal in return for favors granted by Lalu Prasad Yadav during his tenure as the Minister of Railways.

Following the land acquisitions, the ED claims that shares of the said company were “transferred” to the family members of Lalu Prasad in 2014.

The ED had previously conducted raids on Katyal’s premises in March, during which the agency also covered the residences of Lalu Prasad, his son and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, his daughters, and others.

According to the ED, Katyal is described as a “close associate” of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo and has been evading summons for questioning in the case for about two months.

A K Infosystems Private Limited is purportedly a “beneficiary company” in the case, and the ED claims that its registered address in south Delhi’s New Friends Colony was being used by Tejashwi Yadav.

The alleged scam is linked to the period when Lalu Prasad held the position of Railway Minister in the UPA-1 government. It is alleged that from 2004 to 2009, individuals were appointed to Group “D” positions in various zones of the Indian Railways. In exchange, these appointees allegedly transferred their land to the family members of the then Railway Minister Prasad and A K Infosystems Private Limited.

The ED case, filed under the criminal sections of the PMLA, originates from a complaint lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). According to the CBI, no advertisement or public notice was issued for appointments, but residents of Patna were appointed as substitutes in different zonal railways. As a quid pro quo, the candidates purportedly sold land to Prasad’s family members at highly discounted rates, up to one-fourth to one-fifth of the prevailing market rates, as alleged by the CBI.