The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been hard at work in Bihar, and on March 27, 2025, they turned up the heat once again. In Patna, the state’s bustling capital, the agency carried out search operations at “six-seven locations” tied to a case involving IAS officer Sanjeev Hans. This wasn’t a casual visit—officials say the raids zeroed in on government officers and engineers suspected of taking bribes. As the ED teams moved through these spots, they didn’t leave empty-handed. “During the searches, the ED reportedly found and seized incriminating evidence,” hinting at some serious wrongdoing that’s now in their possession. It’s the kind of discovery that makes you wonder just how deep this case might go.

But this isn’t the first time Sanjeev Hans has had the ED knocking on his door. Back in October 2024, things took a dramatic turn when the agency arrested him right from his official residence in Patna. That same day, October 18, they nabbed former RJD MLA Gulab Yadav in Delhi, hauling them both in under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The arrests came after fresh raids that day, signaling that the ED was closing in on something big. Hans, a senior bureaucrat who’d been the Principal Secretary of the Bihar Energy Department, had already been shifted to the General Administration Department in August after earlier searches raised red flags. Meanwhile, Yadav, once an MLA from Jhanjharpur, was known as a close ally of Hans, tying their fates together in this unfolding mess.

The investigation has been a long haul, stretching back months. Last November, the ED uncovered a financial bombshell: “ED seized shares worth ₹60 crore in newly opened demat accounts of the family members of one of the close associates of Sanjeev Hans, as well as balances in 70 bank accounts being used to layer and launder funds illegally.” That’s not pocket change—it’s a fortune stashed away in accounts linked to someone in Hans’ inner circle, with 70 bank accounts acting like a maze to hide the money’s origins. The agency didn’t just sit on that find—they froze those assets, making sure no one could touch them while they dug deeper.

Before that, the ED’s Patna Zonal office had cast a wide net, raiding “13 locations in Delhi, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Nagpur” as part of the money laundering probe against Hans and others. These weren’t random hits—the searches targeted “premises of close associates of Sanjeev Hans and other parties engaged in real estate and the service sector for their involvement in money laundering processes connected with the case.” It’s like a spiderweb of connections, with Hans at the center and his associates in industries like real estate helping to move the cash around.

So, what’s the ED saying about all this? They’ve laid it out plain and simple: “Sanjeev Hans generated proceeds of crime by allegedly indulging in corrupt practices while holding various prime postings in the Bihar government and also during his central deputations.” That’s a big claim—years of alleged corruption, cashing in on powerful roles. And he didn’t do it alone. “Gulab Yadav and other associates have assisted Sanjeev Hans in laundering the ill-gotten money generated from corrupt practices,” the ED stated earlier. Yadav, a former politician with ties to the RJD, allegedly played a key role in making that dirty money look clean.

The evidence keeps stacking up. In one earlier search, they found “shares worth ₹60 crore in some demat accounts of family members of a close associate of Sanjeev Hans,” alongside “details of 70 bank accounts were found, which appeared to have been used for layering and laundering of proceeds of crime and concealing unexplained cash.” Hans didn’t stop at stocks—he “reportedly invested approximately ₹18 crore in real estate,” and the ED has gathered proof of huge cash being hidden in those property deals. During that operation, they “froze shares worth ₹60 crore in demat accounts and balances in 70 bank accounts,” while scooping up “various pieces of incriminating evidence (both physical and digital) related to corruption.”

The trail of luxury items tells its own story. Previous raids across Patna, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Mumbai, Haryana, and Punjab turned up “gold jewellery and luxury watches worth ₹80 lakh and ₹70 lakh, respectively, from Sanjeev Hans’ premises.” From his associates’ places, they seized “unexplained cash of ₹87 lakh, 13 kg of silver bullion (worth ₹11 lakh), and 1.5 kg of gold bullion and jewellery (worth ₹1.25 crore).” It’s a haul that screams wealth way beyond what a public servant should have, and it’s all been locked down by the ED.

Then there’s the family angle. In a twist, the ED summoned the wives of both Hans and Yadav—Mona Hans and Ambika Gulab Yadav—for questioning in a “money-laundering and corruption investigation linked to a tender scam.” Notices went out, ordering them to show up at the ED’s Patna office to give statements under the PMLA. Both women are caught up in the “disproportionate assets case,” suggesting the money trail might run through their households too. It’s a move that shows the ED isn’t just after the main players—they’re following every lead, even into family ties.

Digging into Hans’ time as Principal Secretary in the Energy Department, the ED uncovered a massive operation. “Further investigations revealed that as Principal Secretary in the Energy Department, Sanjeev Hans allegedly awarded contracts worth ₹997 crore (South Bihar) and ₹2,850 crore (North Bihar) for smart electric meter installations.” That’s billions of rupees in deals, and the ED says “₹123 crore was paid as a commission to secure these contracts, which were awarded to Jaipur-based Genus Power Infrastructure Limited.” It’s a staggering figure—₹123 crore allegedly pocketed just to make sure one company got the job. That kind of money doesn’t move quietly, and the ED’s been piecing together how it was funneled and hidden.

This isn’t a simple case—it’s a sprawling saga of corruption, with every raid peeling back another layer. From Patna’s government offices to luxury homes across India, the ED’s investigation keeps unearthing signs of financial misconduct. Cash, gold, silver, shares, bank accounts, real estate—it’s a laundry list of wealth tied to Hans and his network. For the people of Bihar, it’s a gut punch to see a trusted IAS officer and a former MLA caught up in this. The ED’s not done yet, and as they keep digging, the full scope of this scandal is still coming into focus. It’s a real-life drama, and the next chapter’s still being written.