PATNA/BEGUSARAI: Enforcement Directorate and income-tax officials raided premises linked to a close relative of Bihar finance minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary on Thursday, a day before opposition parties meet in Patna to chart plans against BJP for next year’s general elections.
The swoops unfolded on the Begusarai home of industrialist Ajay Kumar alias Karu Singh. Choudhary is seen as a close confidant of CM and JD(U) head Nitish Kumar, the pivot behind the opposition meet. “He (Singh) is my close relative and one of the persons from the state who pays highest taxes to the government. I don’t know the reasons behind the raids but the action was taken just a day ahead of the meeting of opposition parties,” Chaudhary said.
Sources said the ED and IT sleuths searched the residence of Singh, a construction baron, in Begusaraitown early on Thursday. After that, the teams scanned his office and a fabrication unit close by. Simultaneous raids were carried out at Singh’s installations in Delhi and the rest of NCR.
Eyewitnesses said more than a dozen officials from the two central agencies were involved in the searches that lasted hours. The personnel didn’t allow anybody to enter or leave. ED and IT officials refused to divulge details.
Singh’s construction companies are involved in several state and NHAI projects,besides those of the Barauni Refinery, near Begusarai.
This is the fourth major central raid targeting relatives of leaders of the Nitishled Grand Alliance in the past 10 months. Earlier, sleuths from various investigating agencies had raided the residence of a builder considered close to JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh, a close relative of RJD leader and industry minister Samir Kumar Mahaseth and RJD MLC Sunil Singh, considered close to RJD chief Lalu Prasad.
The swoops unfolded on the Begusarai home of industrialist Ajay Kumar alias Karu Singh. Choudhary is seen as a close confidant of CM and JD(U) head Nitish Kumar, the pivot behind the opposition meet. “He (Singh) is my close relative and one of the persons from the state who pays highest taxes to the government. I don’t know the reasons behind the raids but the action was taken just a day ahead of the meeting of opposition parties,” Chaudhary said.
Sources said the ED and IT sleuths searched the residence of Singh, a construction baron, in Begusaraitown early on Thursday. After that, the teams scanned his office and a fabrication unit close by. Simultaneous raids were carried out at Singh’s installations in Delhi and the rest of NCR.
Eyewitnesses said more than a dozen officials from the two central agencies were involved in the searches that lasted hours. The personnel didn’t allow anybody to enter or leave. ED and IT officials refused to divulge details.
Singh’s construction companies are involved in several state and NHAI projects,besides those of the Barauni Refinery, near Begusarai.
This is the fourth major central raid targeting relatives of leaders of the Nitishled Grand Alliance in the past 10 months. Earlier, sleuths from various investigating agencies had raided the residence of a builder considered close to JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh, a close relative of RJD leader and industry minister Samir Kumar Mahaseth and RJD MLC Sunil Singh, considered close to RJD chief Lalu Prasad.