ED tightens probe against Lalu Yadav's family, attaches Misa Bharti's Delhi farmhouse

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday attached a farmhouse owned by RJD chief Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti in Delhi's Bijwasan locality.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday attached a farmhouse owned by RJD chief Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti in Delhi's Bijwasan locality.

"A farmhouse owned by Misa Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar has been attached by the ED... The attached property is situated in Bijwasan area of south Delhi," an ED official was quoted as saying by IANS on condition of anonymity.

The farmhouse "Palam Farms" was bought from the money raised through shell companies owned by Bharti and her husband, the ED official said.

The Income Tax department is probing how shell companies were used by Lalu Prasad and his family to buy expensive properties in Delhi and Patna in a benami property case.

The ED had in July chargesheeted around 35 people, including Chartered Accountant Rajesh Agrawal and businessmen brothers Surendra Jain and Virendra Jain in this connection. 

Agrawal has also been accused of helping Bharti`s husband`s company Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd with some transactions.

The CBI had earlier conducted multiple searches against RJD leader Lalu Prasad and his family in connection with several cases of corruption and money laundering against them.

The ED, too, had earlier raided three premises belonging to Misa Bharti and her husband in connection with a money laundering case probe against them. 

During the searches, the agency said, "incriminating" documents, electronic devices, including phones, have been seized.

Bharti and Shailesh were also questioned about certain documents recovered during the raids.