New Delhi: In connection with a money-laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday detained former RJD MLA Gulab Yadav and Bihar cadre IAS officer Sanjeev Hans.
Hans, a 1997-batch IAS officer, was apprehended in Patna while Yadav, who represented the Jhanjharpur Assembly seat from 2015 to 2020, was taken into custody in Delhi. The arrests were made under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), news agency PTI reported.
The investigation into the duo’s alleged financial impropriety stems from a corruption case filed by the Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) of the Bihar Police last month. The SVU FIR accused Hans and Yadav of amassing disproportionate assets and engaging in corrupt practices during their tenure in key positions within the state government.
Hans, who served as the principal secretary of the Bihar energy department, has faced allegations of demanding luxury cars as bribes and embezzling substantial sums of money. These allegations, along with the SVU investigation, have triggered the ED’s money-laundering probe.
“A team of SVU officials is examining the information provided by the central probe agency. Around 14 people, including Hans, Yadav and their family members have been named as accused in the FIR,” a senior official told PTI.
In July, the ED conducted raids across multiple locations in Patna, Madhubani, Pune, Delhi, Amritsar, and Chandigarh, seizing evidence including 15 watches, luxury items like Rado and Rolex, and 1,100 grams of gold jewellery. The agency also recovered incriminating documents containing details of alleged corrupt payments.
The ED’s investigation is based on the FIR registered by the Bihar police. Hans had previously faced accusations of sexually exploiting a woman under the pretext of offering her a government position, NDTV reported. However, the Patna High Court quashed the case in August.
