Lucknow. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is continuing its action against former SP minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati in the disproportionate assets case. ED has seized Gayatri’s assets worth Rs 60 lakh. A flat was booked in an under-construction apartment in Mumbai’s Wadala area in the name of Gayatri’s son Anil Kumar Prajapati.
According to ED, Rs 60 lakh was deposited in the account of Balaji Corporation Private Limited for booking. The amount deposited as credit balance in the company’s account has been seized.
ED is investigating other properties. ED had earlier seized 71 properties worth Rs 50.37 crore of Gayatri Prajapati and his family. These also included money deposited in 57 bank accounts.
Case was registered against Gayatri Prajapati in 2020
The Vigilance Department had registered an FIR against former minister Gayatri Prajapati in November 2020 in the case of disproportionate assets. In the open investigation of Vigilance, Gayatri’s assets were revealed to be six times more than her income.
The case is of acquiring assets more than income
ED had also started investigation against former minister Gayatri and her family in the case of disproportionate assets based on the Vigilance FIR. CBI and ED investigations are also going on against Gayatri Prajapati in the much-discussed mining scam that took place during the SP government.
He is a named accused in the mining scam. ED investigation revealed that Gayatri Prasad had purchased valuable properties in his and other family members’ names from his black money while being the mining minister. Many benami properties were also purchased in the names of servants and employees.
Crores of rupees were invested in many large lands. Many flats were bought in Mumbai. Police arrested former minister Gayatri in the rape case and sent her to jail.
Income Tax Department had taken action in November 2024
Earlier, in November 2024, the Income Tax Department had seized four benami properties of former minister Gayatri Prasad Prajapati in Lucknow. The Benami Prohibition Unit of the Income Tax Department got posters put up on all the properties and also got the drum beaten.
The properties seized at that time included a three thousand square feet plot located in Khargapur, Gomtinagar, a two thousand square feet plot located in Purseni village of Mohanlalganj and a house built in 1,014 square feet, a house located in Ashiana.
