Patna, March 23 The Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Saturday, provisionally attached 24 immovable properties valued at Rs 8.02 crore and filed a prosecution complaint, seeking confiscation of the assets and conviction of the accused in the Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT) scam in Patna.
The case involves allegations of large-scale money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The Special PMLA Court in Patna has taken cognisance of the prosecution complaint.
The accused individuals named in the complaint include advocates Bidyanand Singh, Parmanand Sinha and Kumari Rinki Sinha, Archana Sinha, Vijay Kumar, Nirmala Kumari and M/s Harijag Business and Development Private Limited.
They face charges of money laundering connected to fraudulent activities in the RCT.
The case was initially investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Patna, under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 1860, along with Section 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The scam revolves around fraudulent death claim cases filed, processed, and decided at RCT, Patna.
According to the FIR, a substantial portion of the decreed compensation intended for claimants was siphoned off by the conspirators.
The ED investigation revealed that Advocate Bidyanand Singh and his team handled more than 900 claims where decrees/execution orders were issued by Judge R.K. Mittal.
The advocates illegally opened and operated bank accounts in the names of claimants without their knowledge.
The signatures and thumb impressions of the claimants were used to transfer the claim amount to personal accounts or cash withdrawals.
The ED investigation further revealed that the advocates allegedly transferred funds from claimants' bank accounts to their own.
A total of Rs 10.27 crore was fraudulently transferred from the claimants' bank accounts to the personal bank accounts of the accused advocates.
The properties are located in Patna, Nalanda, Gaya (Bihar), and New Delhi.
The investigation revealed a sophisticated scheme where the accused opened and operated bank accounts in the name of claimants without their knowledge.
They misused signatures and thumb impressions to divert compensation amounts meant for accident victims into personal accounts.
A significant portion of the decreed funds was siphoned off, with only a minimal amount reaching the rightful claimants.
The Special PMLA Court, Patna, has taken cognisance of the prosecution complaint on Friday.
The ED is pushing for the confiscation of the attached properties.
The case exposes deep-rooted corruption within the judicial claims system, with the ED's actions reflecting a strong stance against money laundering and financial fraud.
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