The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed an FIR against former Rajya Sabha MP K D Singh for allegedly cheating people by offering 10 times return on their investments in his companies, officials said on Tuesday.

The agency has booked Singh, a former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP, and eight others, including his son Karandeep Singh, for allegedly cheating people by taking investments worth crores of rupees in his companies Alchemist Infra Reality Limited and Alchemist Township Limited, they said.

The CBI carried out searches at 12 locations at the premises of Singh, who was a member of Parliament between 2010 and 2014 according to the Rajya Sabha website, and the other accused in the case, the officials said.

The central agency has taken over the investigation in the case from the Azamgarh police, which had registered the FIR on a complaint of one Vijay Kumar Chauhan, alleging cheating and misappropriation of funds invested by him and others in Singh's companies.

Chauhan alleged that he was given false promises to make the investment twice, thrice and 10 times within a period of six years, nine years and 16 years respectively.

However, the investors did not get their money back, the FIR alleged.

The Uttar Pradesh government had sought a CBI probe in the matter from the Centre in September, 2021.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) referred it to the CBI on June 28 this year, after which the agency took over the probe.

The CBI re-registered the FIR of the Azamgarh police against Singh, his son and seven others -- Satendra Singh, V M Mahajan, C M Jolly, Krishna Kabir, Sucheta Khemkar, Chandra Shekhar Chauhan and Sushil Kumar Rai.