ED attaches Rs 4.09 cr worth of assets of former APSC board member

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth Rs 4.90 crore of a former board member of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) in connection to a money laundering case, officials said on Thursday.

The attachment includes immovable properties worth Rs 1.52 crore, and movable properties consisting of insurance policies and Mutual Funds worth Rs. 3.38 Crore belonging to the accused ex-board member of APSC Dr Samedur Rahman and his family members, the ED said in a statement.

As per officials, ED initiated the investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) after taking cognizance of various FIRs and Charge Sheets filed against the then APSC Chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul, Dr Samedur Rahman, and others by the Assam Police in connection to a case of alleged illegal recruitment of candidates on posts like Circle Officers, Asst. Commissioner of Police etc. through the examination conducted by the APSC.

"Rakesh Kumar Paul, the then Chairman, of Assam Public Service Commission (APSC), one of the main accused in the case, in connivance with other accused including Samedur Rahman, had manipulated and engineered the answer booklets of the Combined Competitive Examination of 2013 and 2014, by way of enhancing marks, replacing original answer booklets with manufactured/forged booklets in respect of some candidates, facilitating them securing a job through APSC in lieu of cash. It is submitted that the Proceeds of Crime identified to date, in this case, is Rs 6.18 Crore," the ED said in its statement.

"During the investigation under PMLA, it came to notice that huge cash deposits were made in the accounts of Samedur Rahman and his family members during his tenure with APSC as a board member," the ED said.

"Subsequently, these funds were invested in various insurance policies, Mutual funds and residential plots," it added.