SVU lodges FIR against IAS officer, ex-MLA

Patna: The Special Vigilance Unit (SVU) of Bihar police on Saturday registered an FIR against Bihar-cadre IAS officer Sanjeev Hans and former Jhanjharpur MLA Gulab Yadav in connection with prevention of corruption and disproportionate assets case.
The case was registered on the direction of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which had conducted searches at multiples locations linked to them earlier.
A senior officer of the SUV said a team has been formed to investigate the case and examine all the informations provided by the ED after searches were conducted at multiple locations linked to Hans and Gulab and their associates in July and September this year.
According to sources, more than 14 people, including Hans and his wife and father, former MLA Gulab, his wife MLC Ambika Gulab Yadav and daughter Bindu Gulab Yadav have been named as accused in the FIR.
The ED had unearthed Rs 87 lakh unaccounted cash, 13kg silver bullion (worth Rs 11 lakh), 2kg gold bullion and jewellery worth Rs1.5 crore during the search operation at the close associates of Hans and few private individuals with whom he had financial dealings. Five locations in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata were searched from September 10 to 12, under the provision of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In addition, various incriminating evidences—physical and digital—containing details of hawala and banking transactions were also recovered and seized by the raiding team. “The searches were carried out at locations of close associates of Hans for their involvement and assistance in money laundering activities,” the officials said.
The agency had undertaken searches in this case first time in July at various locations in Patna, Delhi, Pune, Haryana and Punjab, wherein various incriminating evidences including gold jewellery and luxury watches amounting to Rs 80 lakh and Rs 70 lakh respectively were found and seized from the premises of Hans.
Hans, a 1997-batch officer, served as the principal secretary of the energy department and the chairman-cum-managing director of the Bihar State Power Holding Company Limited. But he was transferred to the general administration department in August, following the first-round of searches.