ED attaches Karti's assets worth Rs 54 crore in India, abroad

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday attached properties worth Rs 54 crore belonging to former finance minister P Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram in connection with INX Media case.

The attached properties include bungalows located in New Delhi's Jor Bagh, Ooty and Kodaikanal, along with a residence in the United Kingdom and a property in Spain's Barcelona. The central probe agency has also attached fixed deposits worth Rs. 90 lakh.

Reacting to it, Karti termed the move "bizarre" and tweeted, "A bizarre and outlandish "Provisional Attachment Order" which is not based on law or facts but on crazy conjectures. This is meant only to grab "headlines". The "order" will not withstand judicial scrutiny, review or appeal. Will approach the appropriate legal forum."

Chidambaram and his son, Karti, have been under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED in connection with the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance granted to INX Media, a venture promoted by former media mogul Peter Mukerjea and his wife, Indrani Mukerjea.

The alleged irregularities took place in 2007 when Chidambaram was the finance minister under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

In February 2018, Karti was arrested for his alleged role in the case. The court, however, granted him bail in March.