Newly appointed deputy inspector-general (DIG) of Bhagalpur range Vikas Vaibhav has ordered an investigation into the assets of Banka don-turned-politician Sanjay Prasad Yadav.

Vaibhav on Saturday ordered Banka superintendent of police (SP) Rajeev Ranjan to assess the movable and immovable property of Sanjay after an FIR was lodged, accusing the former RJD MLA and his alleged henchmen of threatening a contractor engaged in setting up an Indian Oil Corporation LPG cylinder refilling plant in the district.

Bhushan Kuer, the site in-charge of Jai Mata Di Construction Company which has been given the contract of the bottling plant, lodged a case with Barahat police station on May 12, alleging that Sanjay and his henchmen visited the site around 7pm on May 11 and threatened him (Bhushan) with dire consequences.

Sanjay was accompanied by security guards allotted by the state government, according to the FIR, and also shot at Bhushan, a resident of Matihani in Begusarai, but the bullet missed the contractor. The case against Sanjay was lodged under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 386 (extortion), 379 (theft) and 506 (criminal intimidation) besides other sections of the IPC.

When contacted on Sunday, Banka SP Rajeev Ranjan said he was in touch with Jharkhand police to procure details of property belonging to the two-term former MLA, wife Kalpana Devi and other dependants. Sanjay was elected from Godda (Jharkhand) twice, while his wife had earlier served as chairperson of the Godda district board.

The SP said though Sanjay is a native of Banka, he has settled in Jharkhand's Godda.

"We have set up a special team comprising financial experts to gather information about the ex-MLA and his dependants' assets disproportionate to his known sources of income," the SP told The Telegraph over the phone.

He said a police team from Barahat police station had conducted a raid on Yadav's Banka residence but he was not found. "The bodyguards of the ex-MLA will also be questioned as the incident took place in their presence," Ranjan added.

DIG Vaibhav said he received several complaints against the former MLA ever since assuming charge on April 30 and the allegations against Sanjay were being verified.

The DIG confirmed that if any ill-gotten property of the RJD leader is found it would be confiscated after obtaining order from the competent court under the Bihar Special Courts Act, 2009.

Initial investigation has revealed that Sanjay and his wife own nine luxury vehicles apart from several plots of land, flats and houses in Deoghar and Ranchi in Jharkhand and Banka in Bihar, police sources said. The couple have bank deposits of over Rs 2.75 crore and Sanjay also has licences for two rifles and a revolver. His wife too has licences for a rifle and a pistol.

The Banka SP said if required, the district police would seek the assistance of the economic offences unit to initiate the confiscation of the former MLA's property amassed through illegal means.

Sanjay, according to police sources, has 20 cases of murder, kidnapping, attempt to murder and extortion pending against him in different police stations in Banka and adjoining districts.

Earlier, Mokama don-turned-politician Anant Singh had felt the heat of police action initiated at the behest of Vaibhav, who was then posted as senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Patna.