A team of the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided several locations in Rajasthan, in connection with a money laundering case related to the Jal Jeevan Mission scam case.
According to the details, the raids were underway in Jaipur and Banswara in the state.
Searches were underway at six locations linked to former minister Mahesh Joshi, while the premises of five officials linked with the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), believed to be close aides of Joshi, were also being searched.
The money laundering case stems from a Rajasthan anti-corruption bureau (ACB) FIR which alleged that Padamchand Jain, proprietor of Shree Shyam Tubewell Company, Mahesh Mittal, proprietor of Shree Ganpati Tubewell Company and others were involved in “giving bribes” to public servants.
These bribes, according to the FIR, were made to obtain illegal protection, obtain tenders, get bills sanctioned and cover up irregularities in respect of work executed by them in respect of various tenders received by them from the PHED.
The Jal Jeevan Mission, launched by the Centre aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water through household tap connections.
The scheme was implemented by the state PHED in Rajasthan.
Then Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot had alleged that the central agencies were acting on the directions of the BJP-led government at the Centre to target the Opposition.
Similar raids were carried out by the Enforcement Directorate last year too, in November and September, at the premises of a senior IAS officer Subodh Agarwal from the PHED.