BJP fields former ED officer Rajeshwar Singh who probed Chidambarams in UP polls

Lucknow, Feb 02: The Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded former joint director of Enforcement Directorate Rajeshwar Singh, who probed high-profile cases, inluding Aircel-Maxis deal case from the Sarojini Nagar seat.

Reacting to the news, Karti Chidambaram took a jibe at the BJP and the ED, saying: Taking "VRS" from the ED to join the BJP is like moving from the wholly owned subsidiary to the parent company.

Singh has been granted voluntary retirement from service by the Union government.

The officer began his civil service career with the Uttar Pradesh Police, where he served for about 10 years while the rest were in the ED, a federal probe agency that investigates money laundering and foreign exchange violation crimes.

A B.Tech and PhD in police, human rights and social justice, Singh joined the ED in 2007 on deputation.

He was permanently absorbed into the ED cadre in 2014 and he headed some high-profile investigations into the 2G spectrum allocation case, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the money laundering cases against former Union finance minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, the Aircel Maxis and VVIP choppers case.
Assets worth about Rs 4,000 crore were attached in his probes.

Singh, who carried out numerous encounters during his stint in the uniform, is married to IPS officer Laxmi Singh, who is currently serving as the Inspector General of Lucknow police range.