ED searches premises of ex-min Prajapati
The probe so far revealed that Prajapati’s relative, driver and domestic help had earned properties worth crores during his tenure as mining minister
LUCKNOW : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at seven locations in Lucknow, Kanpur and Amethi in connection with a case registered against former Samajwadi Party cabinet minister Gayatri Prajapati under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), said officials.
A senior ED official confirmed that the searches were conducted at the office of Prajapati’s
son Anil Prajapati in Lucknow’s Vibhuti Khand and a house on Havelock road.
The other places searched included Prajapati’s chartered accountant’s office and residence in Kanpur, Prajapati’s house and houses of one of his relative, driver Ram Raj and servant Ram Tahal in Lucknow and Amethi.
He said documents and other details of the real estate firm of Prajapati’s son were scanned while his son was also quizzed about multiple shell companies operated by him. The searches at the houses of his CA, relative and employees were conducted in connection Prajapati’s ‘benami’ properties worth crores, he added.
The official said the probe so far revealed that Prajapati’s relative, driver and domestic help had earned properties worth crores during his tenure as mining minister.
He said this suggested that the minister had purchased ‘benami’ properties (property purchased in the name of others using illegal money) and 21 such properties had been identified so far.
The ED was investigating a multi-crore illegal mining scam in Bundelkhand region between 2012 and 2016 after registering a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Prajapati on January 7, 2019.
Prajapati was in judicial custody since March, 2017 after being arrested for the alleged rape of a woman and rape attempt with her minor daughter. Later, many other cases related to threatening people, who were witnesses in the case against him, were registered against him and his son.