The CBI has come across layered financial transactions undertaken by officials and politicians accused in the Uttar Pradesh NRHM scam to cover tracks of illegal gratification and has involved Income Tax department and Financial Intelligence Unit to unearth the money trail.

Agency sources said huge amounts of illegal gratification was allegedly given by beneficiary firms, for awarding centralised contracts under NRHM for the entire state, to the then UP Family Welfare Minister Babu Singh Kushwaha, Secretary Pradeep Shukla, MLA Ram Prasad Jaiswal and other accused.

The sources, without specifying the names of accused, said some of those named in NRHM cases have allegedly laundered the money to companies in Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh using services of their chartered accountants.

The alleged bribe amounts were brought to accounts of companies and trusts owned by accused and their relatives only after multiple routing and layering, they said.

The amounts once received in these companies and trusts were invested into real estate and other immovable estate acquired by the accused, they said.

The sources said the alleged laundering of money was done with professional expertise to cover any tracks of money trail involved in the alleged bribe exchanged to grant contracts and favours to the beneficiary firms.

The agency is already working with a senior Income Tax official to understand the alleged laundering of money in the NRHM scam and has also sought help of Financial Intelligence Unit of the country.

The FIU has access to suspicious transactions which take place in the banks across the country and can help in locating the alleged laundering of money which was routed back into real estate and other immovable assets by the accused, the sources said. .