ED attaches bank deposit of Ritu Khaitan under PMLA

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Wednesday that it has attached Rs 7.49 lakh lying in a bank account of Ritu Khaitan, wife of VVIP chopper scam case accused Gautam Khaitan, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

"The Directorate of Enforcement has provisionally attached an amount of Rs 7.49 lakh lying in the bank account of Ritu Khaitan maintained with ICICI Bank, CP, New Delhi as equivalent value of proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA)," an ED release said.

It said Ritu Khaitan is an accused who has committed an offence punishable under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act, 2015.

She has held "the beneficial interest/ownership in foreign assets/company/account (and) failed to disclose the same in her return of income filed before the Income Tax Authorities", the release added.

The ED said that Ritu Khaitan has maintained foreign bank accounts in her name and other capacities.

"Investigation under the PMLA has revealed that the accused has maintained foreign bank accounts in her name, in the name of companies owned by her and in joint name with her father-in-law and husband in foreign jurisdiction namely Barclays Bank, Singapore and Bank of Singapore, Singapore," the probe agency said.

In March, the ED had provisionally attached assets of Gautam Khaitan worth Rs. 8.45 crore which included properties in New Delhi, Haryana and Uttarakhand under the PMLA.

Further investigations to identify the remaining proceeds of crime are under progress, the agency added.