Cash-for-vote scam: CBI raids 4 Jharkhand MLAs

RANCHI/HAZARIBAG: The CBI has conducted simultaneous raids on the official premises and residences of four Jharkhand MLAs accused of corruption and seeking bribes during the 2010 Rajya Sabha elections. The alleged cash-for-vote scam is being investigated by the CBI.
The politicians raided on Thursday were BJP's Uma Shankar Akela (Barhi assembly constituency), JMM's Simon Marandi (Littipara) and Congress's Yogendra Sao (Barkagaon) and Rajesh Ranjan (Mahgama).CBI sources said important documents related to investments and assets disproportionate to income were recovered during the raids.
While one CBI team raided the MLA Hostel in Dhurva and the legislators' official residences in the capital, another five-member team conducted raids on Akela's paternal houses in Barhi and Chatra Road, and a Hurhuru Road property belonging to Sao. The MLAs were not present at the time of the raids.
The officers sealed Marandi's official residence in Ranchi and raided his house in Littipara in Pakur district. According to the sources, papers related to land purchase and investments in the name of family members were confiscated. In Pakur, the officials also visited the district registry office to verify the authenticity of the registry papers found during the raids. In Mahgama, the CBI seized some investments papers from Ranjan's residence.
Akela said he was falsely implicated in the case and it was a political conspiracy to tarnish his image. "I have not done anything illegal and the CBI will not find anything against me," he said.
Sao, too, said he was clean. "I voted for the Congress candidate and I showed my ballot paper when I cast my vote," he said.
In a sting operation conducted by a private channel ahead of the 2010 Rajya Sabha elections, six MLAs were caught on tape expressing their willingness to accept money in return for their vote. Taking cognizance of the matter, the
Election Commission had directed the state government to lodge FIRs against the legislators under relevant sections of the IPC. In January, the Jharkhand High Court directed the CBI to take over the probe.
The two other MLAs accused in the case are Sawna Lakra (Cong) and Teklal Mahato (JMM). While Mahato died last year, Lakra is in jail in an abduction-and-murder case.