LUCKNOW: The enforcement directorate’s Lucknow unit on Friday registered a case of disproportionate assets against former minister Gayatri Prajapati.
The case was registered two weeks after the ED found over 100 registry papers of properties, including four villas in Mumbai, belonging to Prajapati family. The total value of these properties was estimated to be around Rs 32 crore. Sources in the ED said that attachment proceedings will be initiated soon.
The ED had first conducted a search operation on the residential premises of Prajapati and offices of his sons Anil and Anurag. Besides, residences of their driver Raja Ram in Amethi and Lucknow and of accountant Umesh Khandelwal in Kanpur were also searched in connection with the allegation of money laundering.
During the searches ED sleuths found allotment letters of four villas in Mumbai’s Malad area, valued at Rs 2.5 crore each along with 44 ‘benami’ properties, totalling over Rs 17 crore. These properties were registered in the name of daily-wage workers and labourers.
Moreover, papers of 23 ‘benami’ properties ranging between Rs 3 and 36 lakhs were also recovered during the search operation.