The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it arrested two people in connection with the Bikaner land scam case, PTI reported. Jaiprakash Bagarwa and Ashok Kumar were arrested for violating the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the agency said.
“Ashok Kumar is a close associate of Mahesh Nagar of Ms Skylight Hospitality Private Limited,” The Hindu quoted the agency as saying. The company, which is linked to Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra, had bought 69.55 hectare of land for Rs 72 lakh and sold it to Allegeny Finlease for Rs 5.15 crore, the agency said. It earned a profit of Rs 4.43 crore.
Nagar, who knew about the “fraudulent nature” of the deal used Kumar as a conduit, the agency said.
Vadra and the firm had refuted claims that they had violated any rules and alleged that they were victims of fraud instead. “Skylight Hospitality Private Limited or Robert Vadra are victims of the original wrongful allotments, fraud and consequent sale of said land to them in Kolayat, District Bikaner,” The Hindu quoted Vadra’s legal representative as saying.
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