Bihar: ED attaches assets worth Rs 4.1 crore in Srijan scam

PATNA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth more than Rs4.1 crore amassed by the accused persons in the infamous Srijan scam. The properties are situated in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
The scam worth more than Rs1,000 crore came to light in August 2017. Funds from government bank accounts were fraudulently transferred into the accounts of an NGO, Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti (SMVSS), in connivance with government and bank authorities in Bhagalpur and several other districts of Bihar. These funds were further laundered to the bank accounts of different firms and private persons.
State police’s Economic Offences of Unit (EOU) had initially started investigation but the case was later handed over to the CBI .
Sources said the ED attached 12 flats worth Rs3.09 crore in Patna, Bhagalpur and Ghaziabad. “One flat in Patna is in the name of late Manorama Devi, who was the NGO’s secretary. Another flat is in the name of her daughter and son-in-law in Ghaziabad. One flat each is in the name of bank employee Sant Kumar Sinha and his wife in Bhagalpur and Ghaziabad respectively,” sources said.
They said another flat, also in Ghaziabad, is in the name of accused Devankaar Mishra and his wife Shashilata Mishra.
Sources said the accused government audit officer Satish Kumar Mishra had also purchased two flats in Ghaziabad in the name of his son and daughter.
“Government employee Babita Jha also had a flat in Ghaziabad. Vipin Kumar, a businessman, had one flat in Patna and two in Bhagalpur. Another businessman, Abhishek Kumar, had also purchased a flat in his wife Aparna Verma’s name in Ghaziabad from the scam money,” a source said while giving details of the attached properties.
Sources said the ED also attached five plots and houses worth around Rs87.77 lakh in Bhagalpur and Sitamarhi bought from the ill-gotten money. “It includes benami properties in Sitamarhi in the name of Manorama’s relative and a plot and house bought for her daughter-in-law Rajni Priya,” a source said.
They said bank deposits of Rs1.2 lakh and an SUV worth around Rs 11.89 lakh are also among the attached properties.
Earlier, movable and immovable properties worth Rs14.32 crore were provisionally attached on May 29 last year, which included flats and plots of government officers, businessmen and private persons amassed by laundering the scam money.