Bikaner land scam: Robert Vadra faces CBI heat, probe begins

Robert Vadra (File Photo)

Jaipur: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday evening re-registered 18 cases in the alleged Bikaner land scam deals, including four against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra's firm.

Among the 18 first information reports (FIRs) registered by the investigative agency, 16 were lodged at the Gajner police station and two at Kolayat police station in Bikaner between August and September 2014, reported PTI.

Last week, the Rajasthan government asked the Centre to initiate a CBI probe in the Bikaner land dealings and money laundering scam. Vadra's firms are allegedly involved in the purchase and sale of 275 bighas of land in Rajasthan's Bikaner. The land was originally given as compensation to those displaced by the Mahajan Firing Range. However, the beneficiaries never received the land. It was, instead, allotted to false persons.

"The cases pertain to fraudulent and fictitious claims and allotments in lieu of land acquired for Mahajan Field Firing Range Bikaner, which is used by the Army," said a CBI spokesperson.

Previously, the cases were probed by the Rajasthan Police.

According to Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, Vadra's company was the third party to purchase 275 bigha of land in 2010 and it sold it to a fourth party in 2012.

"When the matter came to light, 18 FIRs were registered. Four FIRs are related with Vadra's company and now the state government has written to the CBI to investigate them altogether. The issue was also raised in the state assembly in 2014," Kataria had said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who included the Vadra land deals in 2013 election campaigning, has the welcomed move.

With PTI inputs