ED attaches over Rs 320-cr assets of Chennai jewellery group

The ED said today that it has attached assets worth over Rs 320 crore, including showrooms across Tamil Nadu and residential premises, of a Chennai-based jewellery firm in connection with an alleged bank loan money laundering probe case.

In a statement, the agency, said it has issued a provisional order under the Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA), for attachment of Rs 328 crore worth assets of Ms Nathella Sampath Jewellery Private Limited its promoters.

The firm is in the business of gold jewellery, silver articles and jewellery made of precious and semi-precious stones and it has a chain of showrooms across various locations in the Tamil Nadu capital like T Nagar, Velachery, Tambaram, Anna Nagar and Puraswalkam as also in the cities of Hosur and Vellore.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it registered a criminal case of money laundering based on a CBI FIR which had booked its own case after the SBI complained to it and "alleged that the promoters of Ms NSJPL had unduly enjoyed bank borrowings in the form of cash credit facilities to the tune of several crores from a consortium of banks (led by State Bank of India) for their company Ms NSJPL from 2009."