New Delhi: The Enforcement Custody (ED) of Amit Katyal, the promoter of AK Infosystems, who was detained last week in connection with an alleged land-for-job fraud, was extended by a Delhi court on Thursday.
It is said that Katyal purchased multiple parcels of land from contenders on behalf of Lalu Prasad Yadav, the former minister of railways and leader of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
On November 11, the financial investigation team detained and then arrested him in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
After Katyal’s previous two-day detention expired on Thursday, Special Judge Geetanjali Goel of Rouse Avenue Court placed him in ED custody until November 22.
Katyal’s premises in upscale south Delhi’s New Friends Colony was declared as an office of AK Infosystems but is being used by RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as residential premises.
The ED on July 31 this year attached six immovable assets having book value of Rs 6.02 crore belonging to RJD leaders Rabri Devi, Misa Bharti (daughter of Lalu Yadav), Vineet Yadav (husband of Lalu’s daughter Hema Yadav), Shiv Kumar Yadav (father-in-law of Hema Yadav), A B Exports Pvt Ltd and A K Infosystems Pvt Ltd., both companies owned and controlled by family members of Lalu Prasad Yadav, under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 in the Railway job for land scam.
The properties attached include the residential premise situated at D-1088, New Friends Colony, New Delhi owned by A B Exports Pvt Ltd.
Additionally attached are two land parcels in Mahuabagh (Danapur), Patna, one each held by AK Infosystems Pvt Ltd and Rabri Devi.
“The home of Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family is D-1088, New Friends Colony, New Delhi, and this is the company’s registered location. In exchange for Lalu Prasad Yadav providing unfair favors while he was minister of railways, Amit Katyal also obtained several additional properties in the aforementioned company, the agency claimed in a statement released on Monday.
It stated that in 2014, shares of the aforementioned company were given to Lalu Prasad’s family after the land was acquired.
The Delhi High Court, earlier this month, declined to provide relief to Katyal seeking a copy of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in a money laundering case, saying that it cannot impede the investigative process of the ED at the stage of summons issuance under the PMLA.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma had dismissed Katyal’s plea. Katyal had sought the quashing of the ECIR and a summon issued by the ED and wanted to prevent the probe agency from taking any coercive action against him, including further investigation in the money laundering case.
