Katni Hawala case: ED attaches properties worth Rs 2.65 cr

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has "provisionally" attached properties worth Rs 2.65 crore allegedly belonging to the accused persons named in the case known as the "Hawala scam" of Katni in Madhya Pradesh.
The attached property included five plots of a firm named NMPL at Raipur, 17 plots belonging to an accused Manish Sarwagi and his family, and a plot belong to Manvendra Mistry, another accused, the agency said in a release today.
"The ED investigation has revealed that Manish Sarawagi and Manvendra Mistry played a key role along with Satish Saraogi in this money laundering case which surfaced after demonetisation of high-value notes last year," it said.

As per the agency, the accused persons had opened 39 accounts in the Katni branch of a private bank in the name of poor people and transacted black-money worth more than Rs 200 crore in cash through these accounts.
"The money deposited in these accounts was finally transferred in the account of NMPL after being deposited in dummy companies. Later, this money was used to purchase properties at different locations," the release said.
Manish Sarawagi and his associates allegedly carried out illegal coal trade through these accounts, the agency said.

The ED had filed a criminal case in January this year under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency had initiated an inquiry after taking cognisance of four FIRs registered by the Madhya Pradesh Police.
The case had assumed political overtones after Katni Superintendent of Police Gaurav Tiwari, considered to be instrumental in taking the probe into the case forward, was transferred on January 9 to Chhindwara by the government.
A state government spokesperson had earlier said: "Some elements have exchanged currency (old notes) through fake bank accounts at a bank at Katni by forging the documents".