ED arrests Sanjay Badaya for Jal Jeevan Mission scam in Rajasthan

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Sanjay Badaya on July 16 in connection with the Jal Jeevan Mission scam (JJM) in Rajasthan.

Badaya, who was accused of playing a middleman in the Jal Jeevan Mission scam, was arrested on Tuesday evening.

He was later taken for questioning at the ED's office in Jaipur. So far, the ED had arrested three people in connection with the Jal Jeevan Mission scam.

On June 19, the ED arrested the third accused in connection with its ongoing money laundering probe linked to the implementation of the Centre's Jal Jeevan Mission scheme in Rajasthan.

ED's Jaipur Zonal office arrested Mahesh Mittal, a contractor, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in the JJM scam, said the ED.

As per the ED, Mittal, along with others, was involved in giving bribes to public servants in order to obtain illegal protection, tenders, get bills sanctioned and cover up irregularities in works executed by them in respect of various tenders received by them from the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED).

"The accused was also involved in the purchase of stolen goods from Haryana for using the same in their tenders and contracts," said the ED.

Mittal was presented before the Special Trial Court (PMLA) on June 19, and the court granted five-day ED custody until June 24.

ED initiated the investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Anti Corruption Branch, Jaipur, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, wherein it was stated that Mittal was also involved in securing tenders pertaining to JJM works based on purported fake and fabricated work completion certificates issued by IRCON by bribing senior PHED officials.

The ED investigation further revealed that Mittal is one of the main accused and is in receipt of the proceeds of crime in his firm.

Thereafter, the same was laundered and layered through various bank accounts held in his name, entities in the name of his family members, which was further syphoned off by investment in immovable and movable properties.

The ED has conducted several searches in this case, leading to a seizure of Rs 11.03 crore till date. Earlier, ED had also arrested Peeyush Jain on February 29 and Padamchand Jain on June 13 in the same matter.