Page 2 - Enforcement Directorate

ED freezes fresh ₹192-cr deposits of WinZO in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it has conducted searches at the accounting firm of real money online money gaming app WinZO and has frozen fresh bank deposits, mutual funds and fixed deposits worth Rs 192 crore. The raid at the office premises of the auditor was conducted on December 30. During the search, the federal probe agency said in a statement, "proceeds of crime" (name for illicit funds under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act) possessed by ZO Games Pvt. Ltd. (fully owned Indian subsidiary of Winzo Pvt. Ltd.) worth around Rs 192 crore were frozen. These funds are in the form of bank balances, fixed deposits and mutual funds, it said. In November, the agency had arrested the founders of WinZO -- Saumya Singh Rathore and Paavan Nanda following their questioning at the Bengaluru zonal office of the ED. A Bengaluru court granted bail to Rathore a few days ago while a similar relief was denied to Nanda. The ED had conducted the first round of raids in th

ED attaches property worth ₹150 crore near Buckingham Palace in London

The Enforcement Directorate has attached an immovable property worth Rs 150 crore near the Buckingham Palace in London in a case of alleged bank loan fraud linked to money laundering involving textile major S Kumars Nationwide Ltd and its ex CMD Nitin Kasliwal. The federal probe agency said in a statement on Wednesday that a provisional order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Tuesday to attach the asset. The high-value property valued at Rs 150 crore near the Buckingham Palace is held under the beneficial ownership of Nitin Shambhukumar Kasliwal and his family members, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said. Kasliwal is accused of defrauding a consortium of Indian banks to the tune of Rs 1,400 crore, it said. After attaching assets located abroad, the ED approaches its counterpart agencies in that country to take possession of such properties under the criminal provisions of the anti-money laundering law. The agency alleged that Kasliwal, through S .

WinZO ED case: Saumya Rathore gets bail, Paavan Nanda denied in PMLA probe

A Bengaluru court granted bail to WinZO cofounder Saumya Singh Rathore, while denying relief to Paavan Nanda and extending his ED custody in the alleged ₹177 crore money laundering case

ED issues notice to interrogate Ex-MLA in KFC loan misappropriation case

The ED, probing the alleged misappropriation of loans by former MLA P V Anvar from the Kerala Financial Corporation (KFC), has issued a notice asking him to appear for interrogation, officials said on Monday. Sources told PTI that Anvar has been asked to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Kochi on December 31. Officials said the notice was sent to Anvar by post and email. Anvar is currently associated with the All India Trinamool Congress, which was recently included as an associate party of the UDF. The ED had carried out raids at the residences and business premises linked to Anvar in Malappuram in November this year. The agency is probing a Rs 7.5 crore loan granted by the KFC to Malamkulam Constructions, a firm associated with Anvar, in 2015. Subsequently, loans amounting to Rs 3.05 crore and Rs 1.56 crore were sanctioned to Pee Vee Aar Developers using the same collateral properties within a short interval, resulting in a total non-performing asset (NPA

ED files final chargesheet naming 59 more in Chhattisgarh liquor scam case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday filed a final prosecution complaint in the alleged liquor scam case in Chhattisgarh, naming 59 people, taking the total number of accused in the money laundering case to 81. The final prosecution complaint was filed before the PMLA court here, complying with the Supreme Court's directions, the ED's counsel, Saurabh Kumar Pande, told PTI. Earlier, 22 persons were named as accused in the case, and several of them were arrested. After completing the investigation related to those accused, prosecution complaints were filed against them in the past, he said. The final prosecution complaint has now been filed against 59 more persons against whom investigation has been completed, Pande said. The 59 include Soumya Chaurasia, the then deputy secretary at the Chief Minister's office, former IAS officer Niranjan Das, liquor licence holders, distributors and excise department officials, he said. The prosecution's complaint summary runs into 315 pages

National Herald case: Delhi HC seeks response from Gandhis on ED plea

The Delhi High Court on Monday asked Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others to respond to a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging a trial court order refusing to take cognisance of its chargesheet against them in the National Herald case. Justice Ravinder Dudeja issued notice to the Gandhis and others on the main petition as well as on the ED's application seeking a stay on the December 16 trial court order, which held that cognisance of the agency's complaint in the case was "impermissible in law" as it was not founded on an FIR The high court listed the matter for further hearing on March 12, 2026. While Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the ED in the case, senior advocates Abhishek Singhvi and R S Cheema represented the Gandhis. In its order, the trial court said an investigation and the consequent prosecution complaint (equivalent to chargesheet) pertaining to the offence of money laundering is "not maintainable" in the absence of an FIR

RBI has allowed compounding of Fema case against Genpact India: ED

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday said the RBI had issued a compounding order for Genpact India, against a one-time payment, resulting in termination of a FEMA against the technology major. The agency had filed a complaint against the company in October 2018 for alleged contravention of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) to the tune of about Rs 26 crore. It issued a show cause notice to the firm and its directors in the same month ( and initiated adjudication proceedings. Genpact subsequently filed an application before the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for compounding of the said FEMA "contraventions". On reference from the RBI, the ED issued "no objection" for such compounding in line with the true spirit of the Act (FEMA), and the banking regulator compounded the offence through an order issued on October 17 with a one-time payment of Rs 4.72 lakh to be made by the company, the ED said in a statement. A compounding order in the regulatory context means a formal deci

AgustaWestland case: Court orders Christian Michel's release from custody

However, he will remain in jail as he is also an accused in a separate corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter

ED questions Anil Ambani's son Jai for 2nd day in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday questioned Jai Anmol Ambani, son of industrialist Anil Ambani, for the second consecutive day in a money laundering case linked to an alleged bank loan fraud, officials said. The statements of 34-year-old Anmol Ambai were recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for the first time on Friday, and the session is continuing on Saturday, they said. The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group did not respond to the development. The ED probe is related to Yes Bank, which, according to the officials, had an exposure of about Rs 6,000 crore in the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group as of March 31, 2017, which doubled to Rs 13,000 crore within a year. The companies involved included Reliance Home Finance Limited (RHFL) and Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL). A large portion of these investments turned into non-performing investments (NPIs) and the bank, subsequently, suffered a loss of Rs 3,300 crore from these dealings, the

ED quizzes Anil Ambani's son Jai Anmol in Yes Bank loan fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday questioned Jai Anmol Ambani, son of industrialist Anil Ambani, in Delhi in a money laundering case linked to an alleged bank loan fraud, officials said. They said the statement of the 34-year-old was recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and it is expected to continue on Saturday. The ED probe is related to Yes Bank. The bank, as per the officials, had an exposure of about Rs 6,000 crore to Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) as on March 31, 2017 and this figure doubled to Rs 13,000 crore within a year (as on March 31, 2018). The companies included Reliance Home Finance Limited (RHFL) and Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL). A "large" portion of these investments turned into non-performing investments (NPI) and the bank, subsequently, suffered a loss of Rs 3,300 crore from these dealings, the agency had alleged. Ambani senior too has been questioned by the ED in an alleged bank loan fraud case against the

ED attaches assets of Yuvraj Singh, Sonu Sood, others in betting case

Assets of former Indian cricketers Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa apart from that of ex TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty and actor Sonu Sood have been attached by the ED in an "illegal" betting app linked money laundering case estimated to be worth more than Rs 1,000 crore, official sources said Friday. The properties of actor Neha Sharma, mother of model Urvashi Rautela and Bengali actor Ankush Hazra have also been attached after the federal probe agency issued a provisional order the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), according to the sources. These include assets worth about Rs 1 crore of Sood, Rs 59 lakh of Chakraborty, Rs 2.5 crore of Yuvraj Singh, Rs 1.26 crore of Sharma, Rs 8.26 lakh of Uthappa, Rs 47 lakh of Hazra and Rs 2.02 crore of Rautela's mother, the sources said. All these celebrities were questioned by the ED in the past and these assets have been categorised as the "proceeds of crime" (illicit money under the PMLA) of the alleged illegal betting app named 1xbet ...

SC gives CBI a week to decide on criminal case against Indiabulls promoters

The Supreme Court has directed the CBI to decide within a week whether to register a criminal case over allegations involving former promoters of Indiabulls Housing Finance, now Sammaan Capital

ED's image tarnished: Shivakumar as Congress protests National Herald case

Karnataka Congress leaders staged protests near the Gandhi statue at Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi against the Central government over the National Herald case

National Herald case: Delhi court rejects ED's complaint against Gandhis

The case stems from a private complaint by former Union minister Subramanian Swamy, who accused Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Young Indian of cheating, criminal conspiracy

Court rejects bail plea of ex-Congress MP in Andaman co-op bank fraud case

A special court in Port Blair rejected the bail plea of four people, one of them former Andaman and Nicobar Islands MP and Congress leader Kuldeep Rai Sharma, arrested by the ED in a Rs 500 crore cooperative bank "fraud" linked money laundering case, the agency said on Monday. On December 12, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court dismissed the plea of Sharma, an ex-Chairman of the Andaman and Nicobar State Cooperative Bank (ANSCBL), the bank's managing director, K Murugan, loan officer K Kalaivanan, and Sanjay Lal, an alleged associate of Sharma, it said in a statement. Sharma represented the Union Territory in the Lok Sabha between 2019 and 2024. "The court held that there are prima facie materials showing active involvement of all four accused persons in the money laundering activities arising from the A&N State Cooperative Bank fraud and related shell companies," the Enforcement Directorate said. The court, it said, "relied upon" various statements recorded by the

ED questions Yes Bank's Rana Kapoor in Reliance Anil Ambani group case

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday questioned Yes Bank co-founder Rana Kapoor as part of a money laundering investigation against Reliance Anil Ambani group companies, officials said. The statement is being recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The probe is related to the period between 2017-2019 when Yes Bank allegedly invested Rs 2,965 crore in Reliance Home Finance Ltd (RHFL) instruments and Rs 2,045 crore in Reliance Commercial Finance Limited (RCFL) instruments. By December 2019, these had become non-performing investments, the agency claimed. The outstanding was Rs 1,353.5 crore for RHFL and Rs 1,984 crore for RCFL, and the probe found that the two companies received public funds worth more than Rs 11,000 crore, according to the ED. "Before Yes Bank invested this money in Reliance Anil Ambani group companies, Yes Bank had received huge funds from erstwhile Reliance Nippon Mutual Fund. "As per SEBI regulations, Reliance Nippon Mutual Fund

Cough syrup case: ED raids expose lavish Lucknow home of ex-constable

From ornate European-style interiors and spiral staircases to vintage lighting and a trove of luxury items, the Enforcement Directorate's raid on the Lucknow home of a dismissed police constable arrested in the codeine-laced cough syrup case has left officials stunned. The Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh Police arrested constable Alok Pratap Singh, who has been dismissed from service twice, on December 2. His name cropped up during the interrogation of another accused, Amit Kumar Singh alias Amit Tata, in the ongoing probe into an illegal codeine-laced cough syrup racket. He is currently lodged in Lucknow jail. The two-storey mansion sprawls over nearly 7,000 square feet in Ahmamau near the Lucknow-Sultanpur highway. Towering pillars line the facade, ornate railings adorn the wide balconies, and inside, cream-painted walls with decorative accents set off the high-end fittings. Luxury items seized during the ED raid on Friday include handbags of Prada and Gucci, premium Rado ...

ED raids 25 sites across states in probe into UP illegal cough syrup racket

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday raided multiple locations in various states as part of a money laundering investigation against an alleged illegal cough syrup trade racket in Uttar Pradesh, officials said. The searches are covering 25 premises in Lucknow, Varanasi, Jaunpur and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh apart from those located in Ranchi and Ahmedabad, they said. The federal probe agency has booked a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe the alleged illegal trade. Locations linked to absconding main accused Shubham Jaiswal and his alleged associates Alok Singh, Amit Singh and some others, cough syrup manufacturers and a Chartered Accountant (CA) Vishnu Aggarwal are being raided, according to ED officials. The ED action is based on about 30 UP Police FIRs that were registered after the state government took cognisance of incidents related to misuse of codeine-based cough syrups (CBCS), their illegal manufacturing, trade and transport ...

ED, ATS raid several locations in Thane over suspected terror links

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) conducted joint raids on Thursday at Padgha in Thane district in connection with suspected terror funding, officials said. The raids were underway at Padgha in the Bhiwandi area since the early hours of Thursday, an official said. The action was based on some earlier operations conducted by the ATS at Borivali village in Padgha, he said. Residences of several suspects were being searched, and the ED was conducting enquiries about suspicious money transactions, the official said, adding that the ATS was assisting the federal agency sleuths. In June this year, the ATS, along with the Thane rural police, conducted a massive search at the residences of 22 persons, including Saquib Nachan, a former office-bearer of Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and other suspected members and sympathisers of the banned outfit, at Borivali in Padgha. The ATS had seized 19 mobile phones and incriminating material and

Key witness in Sandeshkhali Shahjahan case injured in road mishap, son dead

Bholanath Ghosh, one of the prime witnesses in the attack on ED officials in Sandeshkhali and connected CBI cases which implicated the now-jailed TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan, was critically injured when a truck collided with his car in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday, a senior officer said. Ghosh's younger son, Satyajit (32), and the driver of his car, Sahanur Molla (27), were killed in the accident that took place on the Basanti Highway near the Boyramari petrol pump under the Nazat Police Station limits in Basirhat, he said. The truck dragged the private vehicle and dumped it in a water body adjacent to the road, the officer said. While the truck was found on the side of the highway, precariously dangling over the water body, the erring driver fled the spot. Basirhat Superintendent of Police Hossain Mehedi Rahaman confirmed that injured Ghosh was first taken to a local hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Kolkata. The bodies of the deceased w