The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches on Saturday at multiple locations linked to Mr. Sunil Kumar Yadav, a former engineer of Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL) and a close associate of Bihar cadre IAS officer Mr. Sanjeev Hans, as part of a money laundering investigation.
The raids took place in Patna, Gaya, and Bodh Gaya, targeting Mr. Yadav’s residence in Patna’s Jagdeopath, an office at Saguna Mor, a hotel near Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, and another residence in Gaya’s Godavari area. The ED team, arriving at the hotel around 11:30 a.m., interrogated employees and the owner, seizing critical documents related to financial transactions and hotel operations.
Mr. Yadav allegedly colluded with Mr. Hans during the latter’s tenure as MD of BRPNNL, with the ED suspecting that illicit funds earned by Mr. Hans were invested in Mr. Yadav’s immovable assets. Investigators also uncovered Mr. Yadav’s business ties with jailed construction magnate Mr. Suresh Prasad Singhla and his son, Mr. Varun Singhla.
Mr. Hans was arrested on October 18 from his Patna residence, alongside former RJD MLA Mr. Gulab Yadav, who was detained in Delhi. The ED has accused both of amassing disproportionate assets through criminal activities and abuse of power, with searches conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
