The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday conducted searches at four premises belonging to Bhola Yadav, senior RJD leader and close aide of party supremo Lalu Prasad, in connection with "land-for-jobs" scam, officials said.
The searches were conducted at the premises – two each in Patna and Darbhanga districts – after Yadav was arrested by CBI in Delhi in connection with the alleged scam that took place when Prasad was the Railway Minister during the UPA rule.
Yadav was the officer-on-special duty (OSD) to Prasad from 2005-09, they said. "CBI sleuths conducted searches at Yadav's premises in Bhairopatti in Darbhanga district but did not find anything," the caretaker said.
During a three-hour-long search at another premises in Kapchahi village in the district, the CBI officials found a diary and left the place, Yadav's niece said.
CBI also conducted searches at two other properties of Yadav in Ashiana area of Patna but occupants remained tight-lipped about the operation.
Yadav, fondly referred to as 'Hanuman' or 'shadow of Prasad' by RJD supporters, was earlier grilled by CBI in connection with the scam in which over 1 lakh sq ft of land belonging to job aspirants in Patna were allegedly purchased by or transferred to Prasad's family members in lieu of group D jobs in Railways.
CBI suspects Yadav played a crucial role in facilitating the jobs and transferring the land to Prasad's family.
Yadav had won Bahadurpur seat in Darbhanga in the 2015 Bihar assembly elections on an RJD ticket. In the 2020 elections, however, he decided to try his luck from Hayaghat constituency in the district but the decision proved costly as he lost the polls.
CBI had on May 18 filed an FIR against Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, daughters Misa Bharti and Hema Yadav, besides 12 others who were given jobs in various zones.
The agency had alleged that land measuring around 1.05 lakh sq ft in Patna was acquired by Prasad's family.
-With PTI Input
