The Pradeep Dev fraud case took a dramatic turn on Saturday night when Rohtas district police arrested RJD leader Pradeep Dev near Lakhpatia turn in the city. He is the state vice president of the Extremely Backward Classes Cell of the RJD.
The arrest followed an FIR filed by Pankaj Kumar Singh, a resident of Patna. The complaint was registered at Natwar Bazaar police station. Singh accused Dev of cheating the government of ₹1.98 crore by falsely claiming to supply grain from the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
According to the FIR, the Pradeep Dev fraud case involves alleged cheating worth ₹19.817 million. The amount was reportedly taken in 21 installments. Police began the investigation after the FIR was lodged in August 2024.
After verifying the allegations, police carried out a raid on Saturday night with support from the city police station. Dev was questioned for nearly two hours after his arrest.
This is not the first time Dev has faced such charges. In 2019, Uttar Pradesh police arrested him in another fraud case linked to online cheating.
The case has once again put the spotlight on political accountability in Bihar.
