ED Seizes Expensive Items in High-Profile Money Laundering Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids against Bihar-cadre IAS officer Sanjeev Hans, former RJD MLA Gulab Yadav, and others, seizing costly watches, gold jewelry, and investment papers in a money laundering case stemming from a Bihar Police FIR involving allegations of sexual exploitation, corruption, and extortion.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized over a dozen expensive watches, approximately a kilogram of gold jewelry, and various investment papers during raids on Bihar-cadre IAS officer Sanjeev Hans, former RJD MLA Gulab Yadav, and others connected to a money laundering investigation, officials reported on Wednesday.

The federal probe agency initiated the searches across 20 locations in Patna, Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh, and Pune on Tuesday. Hans, a 1997-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, currently serves as the principal secretary of Bihar's energy department.

Yadav, a former MLA from the Lalu Prasad-led Rashtriya Janata Dal, represented the Jhanjharpur assembly seat in Madhubani district from 2015 to 2020. The ED's case, filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), originates from a January 2023 FIR by Bihar Police, which followed allegations of sexual exploitation, corruption, and extortion against Hans and Yadav. These issues were brought forward by a woman lawyer based on a local court's orders.

In total, 15 watches from brands such as Rado and Rolex, 1,100 grams of gold jewelry, and several investment documents were confiscated. The officials did not disclose specific details regarding the locations of these seizures.

(With inputs from agencies.)