BIKANER LAND SCAM: ED ARRESTS TWO

: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has arrested two persons in connection with its money laundering probe in the Bikaner land scam case, which is allegedly linked to Robert Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress President Rahul Gandhi.

The agency said it has arrested the “main fraudster” in the case Jaiprakash Bagarwa and Ashok Kumar under the provision of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). These are the first arrests in this case. They were arrested from Rajasthan’s capital Jaipur last night and were produced in a special court there today, a senior official said.

“Ashok Kumar is a close associate of Mahesh Nagar of M/s Skylight Hospitality Private Limited,” it said. Skylight Hospitality is a firm that has been alleged to be linked to Vadra. The agency had searched the premises of Kumar and Nagar in April.

It had said that in four cases of land purchase in Bikaner by this firm, the “authorised representative” was Nagar.

Kumar, it has been alleged by the agency, purchased land in the same area using the “power of attorney” of others.

It is also alleged that Kumar is a “close associate” of Nagar.

The ED probe is related to the purchase of 275 bigha land allegedly by the company in the Kolayat area of the border town of Bikaner in Rajasthan a few years ago.

The agency had also attached assets worth ₹1.18 crore of government officials and others in connection with the case under the provisions of the PMLA.

It had registered a criminal case under the PMLA in this matter in 2015, taking cognisance of FIRs filed by the state police after the local Tehsildar had complained of alleged forgery.

NEW DELHI/JAIPUR