The Income Tax Department on Monday provisionally seized the allegedly benami properties of Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s daughter Misa Bharti (pictured above), son Tejaswi Yadav and son-in-law Shailesh Kumar. The move is part of the department’s investigation into the Rs 1,000-crore benami land deals and tax evasion case in which Yadav and his family are believed to have a hand, ANI reported.

A benami property is one bought in a certain person’s name though the real beneficiary is someone else.

I-T sleuths attached the properties after Bharti and her husband Kumar failed to appear before the department despite two summons for questioning. The summons were issued days after Bharti’s chartered accountant, one Rakesh Agrawal, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, which is looking into a separate Rs-8,000 crore money-laundering case. He is believed to have helped the RJD chief’s family members carry out illegal transactions, according to PTI.

The case

Bharti and Kumar are believed to have links with M/S Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt Ltd Private Limited. The I-T Department suspects that the company was used to issue benami contracts so the couple could buy a farmhouse in Delhi’s Bijwasan locality. As part of its inquiry, investigators conducted raids at 22 locations in Delhi and adjoining regions in connection with the alleged benami deals.