Sand mining case: ED conducts searches at multiple locations in Patna

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday raided multiple locations in Patna including the residence of RJD leader Subhash Prasad Yadav over an alleged sand mining-linked money laundering case, PTI reported citing sources.

As per the sources, about seven premises are being searched by the central agency in and around Patna. Yadav previously ran for office on an RJD ticket and is rumored to be involved in sand mining in Bihar.

The Bihar Police had previously filed certain FIRs, which led to the money laundering case.

This raid comes a day after Income Tax raided premises linked with RJD MLC Vinod Jaiswal in alleges tax evasion. Jaiswal is into liquor business based in West Bengal.

Last month, as part of an inquiry into money laundering connected to alleged illicit sand mining in the state, the ED impounded two immovable assets worth over Rs 26 crore that were 'purchased' by Bihar MLC and JD(U) leader Radha Charan Sah.

The Bihar Police filed 19 FIRs in total against Broad Son Commodities Private Limited and others under various sections of the IPC and the Bihar Mineral (Concession, Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rule, 2019; these FIRs are the basis for the money laundering case.

In 2017, Bihar had imposed a ban on sand mining, but it pushed sand prices exponentially, leading to a boom in illegal mining while causing a substantial loss to exchequer. Now, Bihar allows conditional sand mining — for example, a complete ban between 1 July and 30 September.

After SC eased the ban in 2020, the state set revenue targets.However, the scale of illegal mining is such that in January 2023, official records showed that Bihar could achieve just one-third of its revenue target of Rs 3,004 crore for 2022-23 from the mining sector till December 2022.