The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday revealed that it had recovered 322 bank passbooks linked to ‘mule’ accounts—fake accounts opened in the names of labourers—for diverting public funds in the Delhi classroom construction scam.
The agency also seized forged letterheads of private contractors, shell company documents, original government files, and rubber stamps of Public Works Department (PWD) officials during recent raids.
How the Scam Unfolded
According to the ED, these mule accounts were part of a broader operation involving fake invoices, inflated bills, and dummy construction firms that were allegedly paid large sums without doing any real work.
The raids, carried out across 37 locations in Delhi on June 18, are part of a probe based on an FIR filed by the Delhi Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB). The investigation focuses on irregularities in a government project to build 12,748 semi-permanent classrooms.
Initially estimated at ₹860 crore, the project’s cost reportedly rose to over ₹2,800 crore between 2015 and 2023, allegedly without following proper tendering or procurement procedures.
Key Figures Under Investigation
Senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain are both under scrutiny by the ED and ACB. Sisodia, a former Delhi Deputy CM, is already an accused in the case.
AAP’s Response
Reacting to the ED raids, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) called them “politically motivated”. In an official statement, the party said, “These so-called raids are nothing but a desperate attempt to divert public attention from BJP’s anti-people actions. The allegations are baseless.”
