Bihar Cooperative Bank scam: ED arrests 5, troubles mount for RJD MLA
Patna: The troubles for Alok Mehta, a senior RJD MLA and close confidant of Lalu Prasad Yadav, appear to be escalating due to the arrests made in connection with an alleged Vaishali Urban Development Cooperative Bank scam.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has apprehended five individuals, including two of Mehta’s relatives — Rambabu Shandilya and Vipin Tiwari — which has intensified speculation about the potential legal and political challenges he might face.
Given his proximity to RJD chief Lalu Yadav and Mehta’s prominence within the party, this development could have broader implications for the political landscape of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).
Discussions are rife that Mehta himself could come under the scanner as the investigation deepens, potentially leading to further action from the authorities.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intensified its investigation into the Rs 85 crore scam involving the Vaishali Urban Development Co-operative Bank, taking significant action in the case.
The agency conducted raids across multiple cities and made arrests, revealing a web of alleged financial irregularities with connections to prominent figures.
ED arrested Vipin Tiwari, CEO of Vaishali Cooperative Bank, along with his father-in-law Rambabu Shandilya (linked to a Rs 30 crore scam in Purvanchal Cooperative Bank Ghazipur), Nitin Mehra (Delhi), Sandeep Singh (Kolkata), and Pankaj Tiwari (Varanasi).
While three of the accused (Nitin Mehra, Rambabu Shandilya, and Pankaj Tiwari) were sent to judicial custody on Saturday, Vipin Tiwari and Sandeep Singh remain under interrogation.
Raids were conducted in Patna, Varanasi, Delhi, Kolkata, and other locations, including hideouts linked to RJD MLA Alok Mehta and his associates.
The bank’s chairman, Sanjeev Kumar, is also under the scanner and remains untraceable despite ongoing ED raids.
The Vaishali Urban Development Co-operative Bank was founded 35 years ago by Tulsidas Mehta, the father of RJD MLA Alok Mehta.
Alok Mehta served as the bank’s chairman from 1995 to 2012. However, in 2015, the RBI halted the bank’s financial operations due to allegations of large-scale embezzlement. In June 2023, the RBI report unveiled a massive scam, leading to the registration of three FIRs in Hajipur and the ED taking over the investigation.
The ties of Alok Mehta to the bank’s history and the involvement of his associates in the ongoing investigations could spell trouble for the RJD MLA. His tenure as the bank’s chairman is under scrutiny, and the ED may extend its probe to his role in past operations.