No relief for Vadra as ED puts board on aide's land

Bikaner (Rajasthan) [India], Apr. 19 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday seized land parcel in Bikaner allegedly linked to Congress president Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra. The ED has put up its board on latter's land.

The land belongs to Robert Vadra's close aide Jaiprakash Bagarwa.

Speaking to ANI, Magharam Marothiya, village Sarpanch claimed that it was his land which was forcefully usurped by a close aide of Vadra.

"I was not there when ED officials came and put up this board, this land actually belongs to me which Jaiprakash Bagarwa (Robert Vadra's aide) usurped from me using fake documents," Marothiya said.

Earlier in December 2017, the ED arrested Jaiprakash Bagarwa under a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Rajasthan's Bikaner land scam case.

The Bikaner land scam is a land grabbing case, in which fraudsters in collusion with the state government officials got allotted land on the name of fictitious individuals (who were non-existent) which was actually earmarked for people who got displaced due to the creation of Mahajan Field Firing Range.

The fraudsters created forged allotment letters purported to be issued by the Colonisation department and 1422 Bigha land was recorded in revenue record in the name of these fictitious allottees without due verification of these allotment letters from the department.

The ED had also reportedly issued a notice to a firm allegedly linked to Vadra as part of its investigation into the alleged land scam.

The ED had earlier on May 6, 2017, conducted searches at eight premises in Bikaner and nearby areas in connection with the case.

The ED registered a money laundering case against certain real estate developers and the Rajasthan government officials to probe the Bikaner land scam.

The investigation is related to the purchase of 275 bigha land allegedly by the company in the Kolayat area of Bikaner. (ANI)