IT department attaches Lalu family's suspected benami property in Patna
What's the story
The Income Tax department has attached a property worth over Rs. 3cr in Sheikhpura of Patna suspected to be a benami asset held by Lalu Prasad's family members who are facing investigation in a land-for-hotels scam. The property was registered in the name of company "Fairgrow Holding" and few members of Lalu's family were directors in the firm "till a few years ago".
Information
Lalu's sons and daughters were directors in the firm
An I-T official said, "Lalu's sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap, daughters Ragini and Chanda, are no longer directors of the company. However, notices sent to the company several times were not answered...no other claimant of property came forward. Hence, property was a benami holding."
Land-for-hotels scam
Family members of Lalu named in the land-for-hotels scam
Members of Lalu's family have been named in cases filed by Enforcement Directorate and I-T department in connection with the land-for-hotels scam. The scam relates to transfer of prime land properties to Prasad's family by hotelier brothers of Patna in return for getting a contract for running two Railway hotels in Ranchi and Puri when Prasad was the Railway Minister in UPA-I government.