Benami assets case: I-T sends final notice to Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family
New Delhi: Income Tax department has issued final attachment order against RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family assets spread in Delhi and Bihar. According to officers, the properties which have been attached include a posh house in South Delhi.
Last week, Enforcement Directorate (ED) too had attached a farmhouse owned by Misa Bharti, daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, in connection with its investigation into '8,000 crore money laundering case.
The farmhouse, located at Palam farms in South Delhi’s Bijwasan area was attached provisionally under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It belongs to Bharti and her husband Shailesh Kumar and is “held in the name of Ms Mishail Packers and Printers Private Limited”. “It was purchased using '1.2 crore involved in money laundering in the year 2008-09,” the ED alleged.
Income tax had issued a provisional order for attachment in June under the Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act, 2016 which has now been confirmed after adjudication.
In June, I-T department had attached about a dozen plots and buildings in Delhi and Bihar including a farmhouse and land in the Palam Vihar area, a building in the upmarket New Friends Colony area of south Delhi, nine plots on a 256.75 decimal land area in Patna’s Phulwari Sharif area, where a shopping mall was being constructed, among a few others in the same area in Bihar’s capital.
I-T officials said that others cases which were too provisionally attached will be processed for final attachment. Benami properties are those in which the real beneficiary is not the one in whose name (benamidar) the property has been purchased.
Earlier, I-T had served notices for attachment to Mr Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi, former state deputy CM, daughters Chanda, Ragini Yadav and Misa Bharti, an MP.
I-T had alleged that these alleged benami assets bear a “deed” value of about Rs 9.32 crore but the taxmen has estimated their market value at Rs 170-180 crore.
