Saradha: ED probe unearths 'benami' land, liquor bar worth Rs

In fresh revelations in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has unearthed that 'benami' land and a liquor bar, worth over Rs 60 crore, at prime locations of Kolkata were purchased by laundering investors' funds.
The central agency has gathered documents which unravel purchase of close to 68 acres of land in attractive locations of the West Bengal capital through 'benami' transactions, and no official land registration was available for the alleged illegal purchases.
This is the first time that a probe agency has found trails of some large-scale 'benami' (unnamed) assets in this case which has created a furore amongst lakhs of investors.

Such assets are usually created by perpetrators of a fraud enterprise to escape the tax net.
Sources privy to the development told PTI that the agency sleuths have cracked some e-mails and cell phone communication of some 'key' people involved in the case, including those of Shubojit, son of the main accused of the ponzi scheme scam Sudipta Sen.
The estimated market value of these assets is close to about Rs 60 crore.

The agency, sources said, has now approached the West Bengal Land and Revenue Department authorities and some banks that would be able to give out some relevant details of the purchase of these properties.

Purchase of a popular liquor bar by laundering investors' funds by a few individuals involved in the case has also been detected, which is under the scanner of the agency, which has stepped up its probe in the case in the past few days.
The ED's zonal office in Kolkata has also seized a bank locker containing gold ornaments in a prominent private bank which will be soon attached under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).