Srijan scam: IT raid on Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Modi's sister's home in Patna

The income tax department on Thursday started search operations at eight places in the state, including the house of Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Modi’s cousin, in connection with the multi-crore Srijan scam.

Sources said officials were raiding Rekha Modi’s residence in a posh locality of the state capital as part of the scam related to the illegal siphoning of government funds. The department was also searching several business establishments in Patna, Purnia and Bhagalpur.

The Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti Limited, a non-government organisation, is accused of pilfering government funds from the Bhagalpur district administration’s accounts for various welfare schemes in connivance with district officials, bankers and its staff.

It has been alleged that a large amount of government funds were fraudulently transferred into its accounts between 2004 and 2014. The NGO used to provide vocational training to women in Bhagalpur and its office is located in Sabour block of the



district.

One of the allegations levelled against Rekha Modi, a social activist, was that her name figured as one of the beneficiaries of the government funds transferred fraudulently to the account(s) of the NGO between 2007 and 2017 at Bhagalpur.

Records available with the special investigative team, set up by the Bihar Police to investigate the scam on orders of chief minister Nitish Kumar, also show that diamond jewellery worth Rs 14 crore was bought directly with funds from Srijan and given to the wives and children of several bureaucrats and politicians.

Rekha Modi was directly identified as a beneficiary by the owner of the jewellery store whom the investigators approached for details.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal claimed she was related to BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi. He, however, has denied any links with Rekha Modi.

“I have no connection whatsoever with Rekha Modi and the talk of her being related to me has no basis,” he had said.