Page 48 - Enforcement Directorate

Won't arrest Wankhede in money laundering case till March 1: ED to HC

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday told the Bombay High Court that it will extend till March 1 its previous statement that it would not arrest Sameer Wankhede, the former zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in a money laundering case. A division bench of Justices P D Naik and N R Borkar accepted the statement and posted Wankhede's petition against the case on March 1. The bench directed the probe agency to produce a copy of the ECIR (complaint) on that day. The ED registered a money laundering case against Wankhede after taking cognisance of a first information report (FIR) by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in an alleged Rs 25-crore bribe demand from superstar Shah Rukh Khan's family to spare his son in a drugs case. Earlier this month, Wankhede filed a petition in the high court seeking to quash the ED's case and, through an interim order, sought protection from any coercive action and a stay on the probe. The probe agency had last week said it wo

ED nabs middleman in SSC scam, conducts searches in Jute Mill PF scam

Sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested one person who was allegedly working as a middleman in in West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam, an officer said on Tuesday. The person, who was earlier apprehended by the CBI in the same case in 2022 and later released, was arrested after at least 10 hours of grilling and searches at his home and office in the New Town by the ED officers, he said. "He was arrested late Monday night. We have evidence of his acting as a middleman in the scam. He will be produced at a city court today", the ED officer said. After the 2022 arrest by the CBI, the accused was granted bail by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the ED on Monday started search operations at the office of a Jute Mill owner in the outstanding provident fund dues scam, he added. Accompanied by a huge team of central forces the ED officers raided the office and residence of the Jute Mill owner in Sankrail and Ballygunge respectively, he said, adding that

ED has not yet found forex breaches at Paytm Payments Bank: Report

Last week, India's Enforcement Directorate announced the investigation into overseas transactions by Paytm Payments Bank, a unit of One 97 Communications, popularly known as Paytm

Delhi excise policy: ED may issue summons to CM Kejriwal for 7th time

The Enforcement Directorate is expected to issue fresh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in the excise policy case, official sources said. The ED sources claimed that a local court recently held Kejriwal guilty of "disobeying" the earlier notices issued to him, warranting the seventh summons. Kejriwal, 55, refused to depose before the federal agency for the sixth time on Monday with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) saying the ED should wait for the court's decision instead of repeatedly sending summonses to the CM, also the party's national convenor. A Delhi court on February 17 had granted exemption to Kejriwal from personal appearance for the day in connection with the complaint filed by the central agency for disobeying its summons in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. The court posted the matter for March 16 and Kejriwal's counsel assured the court of his physical appearance that day. ED sources said the agency had filed a complaint before

ED claims court accepted offence by Arvind Kejriwal for refusing summons

The complaint was filed against Kejriwal for intentionally disobeying the first three summons issued to him, sources said

Delhi excise policy case: CM Kejriwal skips ED summons for sixth time

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate on Monday for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy, the AAP said. Terming the agency's sixth summons to its national convener as "illegal", the party said that the ED should wait for the court's decision instead of repeatedly sending summonses to Kejriwal. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had approached a city court after Kejriwal skipped multiple summonses. On Saturday, the court had granted exemption to Kejriwal from personal appearance for the day in connection with the complaint filed by the central agency. The application moved by Kejriwal's counsel stated that the Budget Session of the Delhi assembly has commenced on February 15 and shall continue till the first week of March. He will physically appear before the court on the next date of hearing on March 16, it said.

Shivraj, Raje may form own parties if ED stopped, says Delhi CM Kejriwal

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Sunday claimed that if the ED was stopped and section 45 of the PMLA abolished, no one would cross over to the BJP and its leaders like Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje may form their own political outfits. Chouhan and Raje were overlooked by the BJP for the chief minister posts in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan respectively despite ensuring the party's return to power in the assembly polls held recently. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge by his side, Kejriwal responded to a question on opposition leaders joining the BJP, saying, "Today, if the ED (Enforcement Directorate) is stopped and section 45 of the PMLA (The Prevention of Money-Laundering Act) is abolished, half of the BJP leaders will quit the party." "There is only one agency (ED) which is responsible for leaders joining the BJP. No one will join the BJP if PMLA section 45 is removed. Leaders like Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Vasundhara Raje may form their own parties by the ...

Waqf Board money laundering case: AAP MLA moves court for anticipatory bail

Earlier on February 7, the Delhi High Court dismissed AAP MLA Amanat Ullah Khan's plea against the summons of ED in the Delhi Waqf Board money laundering case

Another prime accused arrested in Sandeshkhali land grab, sexual abuse case

One of the prime accused in the case of alleged land grab and sexual harassment of women in Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district was arrested on Saturday, police said. Local TMC leader Shibaprasad Hazra, who has been named in police complaints along with party colleagues and other two prime accused Shajahan Sheikh and Uttam Sardar, was nabbed from a hideout in Sandeshkhali. He will be produced before a local court on Sunday. "We have arrested Shibaprasad Hazra from Sandeshkhali this evening. He will be produced before the court tomorrow," an officer of Nazat Police Station told PTI. Earlier, police have also arrested Uttam Sardar but Shajahan Sheikh remains absconding. With the fresh arrest, two of the three prime accused have been nabbed. A total of 18 people have been arrested in the case so far. Meanwhile, the police added IPC sections 376D (gangrape) and 307 (attempt to murder) in the case after a survivor recorded her statement under Section 164 of Code o

ITAT's relief to Congress after nine bank accounts 'frozen' claim

Sources said that it was not the accounts that were frozen, but an amount of around Rs 115 crore, which remains attached

Bengal school jobs scam: ED searches builder's homes, office in Kolkata

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday began raids at the residences and office of a builder, who is considered close to former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, in connection with its probe into alleged irregularities in the recruitment in primary schools in the state, an official said. Accompanied by central forces, ED teams raided an office and three flats of the businessman, one of which is just opposite the Chatterjee's house, in Naktala in the southern part of Kolkata, he said. The builder has played a significant role in the scam. It seems that the person has helped the arrested minister in investing the money garnered from the scam in different projects, the ED officer told PTI. Chatterjee was arrested by the central agency in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment in government-aided schools. The ED had earlier questioned the builder twice in connection with the alleged scam. Several documents and bank details seized from the possession of the per

ED summons TMC leader Mahua Moitra for questioning in Fema case next week

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned TMC leader and former Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra for questioning in a FEMA contravention case next week, official sources said Thursday. The 49-year-old politician has been asked to depose on February 19 at the central agency's office in Delhi. Her statement will be recorded under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) once she deposes, they said. Moitra is being probed by the CBI too and it is conducting a preliminary inquiry into the allegations against Moitra on the reference from the Lokpal. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had accused Moitra of asking questions in the Lok Sabha to target the Adani Group and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the behest of businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for gifts. He had also accused Moitra of compromising national security for monetary gains. In December, Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha over the issue. Moitra has denied any wrongdoing and claimed she was being targeted as

ED questions Paytm officials, gets documents following RBI's decision

The Enforcement Directorate has questioned senior Paytm executives and taken submission of documents from them following the recent RBI action of barring Paytm Payments Bank Ltd from accepting deposits or top-ups in any customer account, official sources said Thursday. The central agency, according to the sources, is conducting preliminary examination of documents before it decides to launch a formal investigation into the RBI-flagged alleged irregularities at the fintech company under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Some documents have been recently submitted by Paytm executives following which they were asked certain questions. Some more information has been sought, the sources said. As of now, no irregularities have been detected and a case under FEMA will only be registered once any contravention under the said law is found, they added. An investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) involving Paytm is already going on for some time, they ...

Six-member BJP delegation to visit violence-hit Sandeshkhali in West Bengal

BJP president J P Nadda has constituted a six-member committee of party MPs, five of them being women, who will on Friday visit West Bengal's Sandeshkhali which has been rocked by protests over allegations of sexual assault of women by TMC supporters. Several women in the region have accused the local Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of land-grab and sexually assaulting them under coercion. Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly affiliated to him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who has gone to search his premises in connection with a corruption case. Union ministers Pratima Bhoumik, Annapurna Devi, who is the committee's convener, Sunita Duggal, Kavita Patidar, Sangeeta Yadav and Brij Lal, a former Uttar Pradesh DGP, are part of the committee, a statement from the BJP said. Party sources said they will visit Sandeshkhali on Friday. The party said the incidents of sexual exploitation and violence against women are heart-rendin

Sandeshkhali situation 'highly reprehensible': Bengal Guv in report to MHA

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has submitted a report to the Ministry of Home Affairs, blaming the law enforcers for working hand in glove with "rowdy elements" in Sandeshkhali where women have been protesting against alleged atrocities by the ruling TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his followers, according to Raj Bhavan sources. Bose, who visited the restive area and spoke with the agitators on Monday, said in the report that the local people want constitution of a Special Task Force or Special Investigation Team to probe into their allegations. "I have taken stock of the matter through direct interaction with the victims and by making extensive field visits in Sandeshkhali island. In my considered opinion, the situation there is highly reprehensible," Bose said in the report to the Union Home Ministry. Besides torture and sexual harassment of women when men are away, other allegations heard by the governor include grabbing land for prawn cultivation and coercing villagers to ..

ED launches preliminary probe into Fema breach in Paytm Bank case

There could be a multi-agency investigation of the company, sources have indicated

ED formally arrests Hurriyat leader Bhat, 2 others in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate has formally arrested three people, including a Hurriyat leader, in a money laundering case for their alleged involvement in selling MBBS seats in Pakistan and funding terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir, an official said on Wednesday. Hurriyat leader Mohammad Akbar Bhat and Fatima Shah of Srinagar and Sabzzar Ahmad Sheikh of Anantnag are already in jail after their arrest more than five years ago by the Jammu and Kashmir Police's State Investigation Agency (SIA) in a terror funding case. Bhat, Shah and Sheikh were arrested on Tuesday under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) provisions for their involvement in terror financing and being hand in glove with Pakistani handlers Manzoor Ahmad Shah and Altaf Ahmad Bhat, who arranged admissions in MBBS and other courses in colleges in Pakistan for students from Jammu and Kashmir, a spokesperson of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said. The official said the accused have been remanded to the ED's custod

ED starts preliminary probe into Paytm Payments Bank after RBI's decision

That comes two weeks after the country's central bank ordered Paytm's banking affiliate to wind down

Illegal mining case: ED raids more than a dozen locations in Rajasthan

The ED conducted raids over a dozen locations in Rajasthan in connection with its probe into a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged illegal mining case

ED issues fresh summons to Farooq Abdullah in JKCA money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate has issued a fresh summons to National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah for questioning in a money laundering case pertaining to the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA), official sources said Monday. He has been asked to depose at the ED office in Srinagar Tuesday. The 86-year-old politician was last called by the central agency in this case on January 11 but he did not appear before it. He is not expected to appear at the Srinagar office of the central agency this time too, sources close to him said. The ED investigation pertains to alleged financial irregularities at the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association. The MP from Srinagar was charge-sheeted by the Enforcement Directorate in this case in 2022. The case relates to siphoning off JKCA funds by way of transfer to various personal bank accounts of unrelated parties, including those of JKCA office-bearers, and by way of unexplained cash withdrawals from its bank accounts, the ED ha