IRCTC hotels case: Finally, Rabri Devi agrees to appear before ED tomorrow in Patna

After ignoring six summons, finally former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav's wife Rabri Devi will appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in the IRCTC case.

Sources within the investigative agency have told India Today that Rabri Devi has agreed to appear before the investigators at Patna's ED office at 11am on December 2.

Earlier, Rabri was summoned by the agency to appear for questioning in IRCTC case, at least 6 times.

Rabri's son and former deputy chief minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav has been grilled twice by ED for his alleged involvement in the case.

"The investigative officer is expected to record Rabri's statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), under which it had registered a case against the Lalu Prasad family and others," said a senior officer of ED.

Earlier, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) grilled Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav for their alleged involvement in the IRCTC scam case.

What is the case?

It has been alleged by the agency when Lalu Yadav was the railway minister in UPA government, he handed over the maintenance of two hotels run by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) in Ranchi and Puri to Sujata Hotel. Sujata Hotel is a company owned by Vinay and Vijay Kochhar. It has been alleged in the complaint that Kochar brothers were given the two hotels in return for a prime plot of three acres in Patna through a benami company called Delight Marketing Company.

Role of Rabri Devi

According to the complaint, after the tender was awarded to Kochar brothers, the ownership of Delight Marketing also changed hands from Sarla Gupta to Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav between 2010 and 2014.

Tejashwi grilled by ED and CBI

After being grilled by the CBI in IRCTC scam case, RJD supremo Lalu Yadav's son Tejashwi Yadav was interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate for more than eight hours twice. Unsatisfied with Tejashwi's explanation, ED has summoned Tejashwi again to appear before them for another round of questioning.