In the labyrinth of legal intricacies, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has apprehended Subhash Yadav, an intimate confidant of the RJD supremo, Lalu Prasad Yadav. This unfolds as a chapter in the ongoing money laundering inquiry, specifically in the alleged unlawful sand mining affair. Subhash found himself in the clutches of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) during the late hours of Saturday, following meticulous searches conducted by ED operatives across various sites in the Patna region of Bihar.
ED authorities assert that Subhash faced the scrutiny of a special PMLA court on the subsequent Sunday morning and was ushered into Judicial Custody. The arrest unfolded subsequent to an exhaustive interrogation session conducted by ED officials, who combed through Subhash’s abode in the Danapur locality of Patna on a Saturday morning. The agency further extended its reach with synchronized raids at additional residential havens associated with Subhash in Patna.
Insiders reveal that the ED operatives meticulously perused documents pertaining to the sand mining operations and the financial tapestry of Subhash before taking him into their legal grasp. This event unfolded during searches carried out on March 9 at six distinct locations in Patna linked to Subhash Yadav, including properties associated with his close cohorts. The outcome: a substantial cache of over 2.30 crores in cash and implicating documents confiscated.
Subhash Yadav, whose nocturnal arrest transpired on March 9, stands accused of orchestrating an illicit sand mining enterprise within Bihar. He emerges as a prominent merchant in the Patna region’s sand trade and holds the directorial reins of Broadson Construction Pvt Ltd. The genesis of the money laundering conundrum stems from First Information Reports filed by the Bihar Police in a prior period.
The RJD luminary, Subhash, who faced an electoral setback in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Chatra, Jharkhand, often graces the company of Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, and other kinfolk. Two solar cycles past, the ED had cast its investigative gaze upon his premises.
Before this, the Income Tax Department had swooped down on Subhash’s abode in 2018, unraveling a tax evasion narrative. In an antecedent juncture of this saga, the ED had detained Radha Charan Sah, a syndicate affiliate, along with his progeny and the directors of BSPL, under the draconian wings of PMLA.
February witnessed the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) provisionally annexing immovable assets totaling Rs. 26.19 Crore, traced back to Radha Charan Sah, a member of the Bihar Legislative Council. This move was orchestrated within the framework of a money laundering affair involving Broadsons Commodities Pvt Ltd.
ED’s investigatory odyssey commenced on the foundation of 19 FIRs registered by the Bihar police, encapsulating diverse sections of the IPC, 1860, and Bihar Mineral (Concession, Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation, and Storage) Rule, 2019, targeting Broadson Commodities Private Limited and associates.
The clandestine sand trade, steered by a syndicate, orchestrates a financial ballet by injecting capital into the enterprise, profiting from the surreptitious sale of sand, akin to a subtle Pas de Deux. The PMLA scrutiny has unearthed a Pandora’s box, revealing a profit of Rs 161 Crore from the shadowy commerce of sand.