Page 54 - Enforcement Directorate

ED arrests 5 people in money laundering case linked to Rajasthan paper leak

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday said it has arrested five people as part of its money laundering investigation into an alleged teacher recruitment exam paper leak case in Rajasthan. Suresh Kumar alias Suresh Sau, Vijay Damore, Peeraram, Pukhraj, and Arun Sharma were taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on January 11, the agency said. They were sent to three-day ED custody by a special PMLA court in Jaipur, it said in a statement. The probe pertains to alleged paper leak case of senior teacher 2nd grade competitive examination, 2022 in Rajasthan. Former Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) member Babulal Katara and two other persons identified as Anil Kumar Meena and Bhupendra Saran were earlier arrested by the ED in this case. Arun Sharma provided 29 candidates (for whom leaked papers were arranged and who were appearing for the said competitive examination) to Anil Kumar Meena in lieu of Rs 2 lakh per candidate, th

ED makes two fresh arrests in Mahadev betting app money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested two more persons in connection with its money laundering investigation into the Mahadev online betting and gaming app case, officials said on Saturday. Nitin Tibrewal and Amit Agrawal were taken into custody under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and produced before a special court in Raipur on Friday, ED lawyer Saurabh Pandey said. The court sent them to ED custody till January 17, he said. Tibrewal is alleged to be a "close associate" of an accused in the case, Vikash Chapparia. He is alleged to have purchased some "undisclosed" properties in Dubai and a majority shareholder in an FPI company in which Chapparia is also a shareholder, ED sources said. The agency suspects these assets were bought using the "proceeds of crime" generated from the profits of Mahadev app. Amit Agrawal, the sources said, is a relative of another accused in the case, Anil Kumar Agrawal. Amit Agrawal is alleged to have received M

ED issues fourth summon to Kejriwal in Delhi excise policy case for Jan 18

The Enforcement Directorate has issued summons for the fourth time to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, official sources said on Saturday. Kejriwal, who is also the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has been asked to depose before the agency on January 18, they said. The 55-year-old Kejriwal had refused to depose before the ED for the third time on January 3, saying the "non-disclosure and non-response approach" of the agency cannot sustain the test of law, equity or justice and its "obstinacy" is tantamount to assuming the role of judge, jury and executioner. The chief minister was earlier asked to depose on November 2 and December 21 in 2023. It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP. The policy was subsequent

ED raids residences of Bengal minister, TMC leaders; police dispatched

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday searched the residences of West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose, TMC MLA Tapas Roy, and another TMC leader in connection with the alleged irregularities in civic body recruitments. This was the first ED raid since the assault on its officers during a previous search operation at the residence of a TMC leader at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district in the ration distribution scam last week. In a departure from the previous ED raids, a substantial contingent of central police personnel cordoned off Bose's residence and prevented any gathering of party supporters near it. The central forces were equipped with additional protective gear, including helmets and automatic guns. The central agency's sleuths conducted searches at two residences of Bose in the Lake Town area of North 24 Parganas district, as well as Roy's BB Ganguly Street residence in central Kolkata and Subodh Chakraborty's residence in Birati, North 24

Bhushan Steel bank 'fraud' case: ED arrests 5 including ex-executives

The Enforcement Directorate Friday said it has arrested five persons in connection with an alleged Rs 56,000 crore bank loan fraud linked money laundering case against erstwhile Bhushan Steel Ltd. Former vice president (banking) of the company Pankaj Tewari, former VP (accounts) Pankaj Agarwal, ex-chief financial officer Nittin Johri, Ajay Mittal, the brother-in-law of former promoter Neeraj Singal, and Ajay Mittal's wife and sister of Neeraj Singal, Archana Mittal were taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Thursday, it said. They were sent to three days ED custody by a court after they were produced over two days, the agency said. After completing the corporate insolvency resolution process, Bhushan Steel was taken over by Tata Steel Ltd in 2018. According to the ED, Bhushan Steel Limited's former managing director Neeraj Singal and his associates formed several shell companies and the promoters and entities linked to BSL "rotated funds from one

Karnataka HC: Xiaomi files appeal against ED's seizure of Rs 5,551.27 cr

A division bench of the High Court of Karnataka on Friday heard an appeal filed by smartphone maker Xiaomi challenging a single-judge order which had upheld the Enforcement Directorate's seizure of Rs 5,551.27 crore from its bank accounts. The bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice M G S Kamal heard the arguments submitted by the counsel for the company before adjourning the hearing to January 20. The Court specified that there would be no further extensions and both the company's counsel and the government advocate were expected to complete their arguments on that date. The counsel for the company argued that the seizure was unnecessary and under Section 37A of FEMA even the necessity of suspicion is not required. Even the qualification of the "authorised officer" to take action was not prescribed. The court was told that Section 37A "seems to be clearly draconian", as for 30 days after the seizure the company has to only wait for the authority to decide on it. "Why

Karti Chidambaram appears before ED third time in less than one month

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram appeared before the Enforcement Directorate here on Friday, his third deposition in less than a month, for questioning in a money laundering case linked to alleged issuance of visas to some Chinese nationals in 2011, sources said. The 52-year-old legislator from Sivaganga Lok Sabha seat in Tamil Nadu was questioned in this case on December 23 last year and January 2 and the central agency recorded his statement under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Karti went to the ED headquarters in Delhi for the third time on Friday morning. It is understood that his deposition was in connection with the Chinese visa linked PMLA case this time too. The MP had called the summons in this case a "routine affair and things that happen routinely especially when elections come near". "These are all exercises in futility. We will go through them," he had told reporters while deposing earlier this month. The money laundering case, filed un

Bhushan Steel bank case: ED nabs 5 persons for alleged Rs 56,000 cr fraud

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested five persons in connection with an alleged Rs 56,000 crore bank loan fraud linked money laundering case against erstwhile Bhushan Steel Ltd (BSL), official sources said Friday. Those taken into custody on Thursday are Pankaj Kumar Tiwari, the former vice president banking of the company, former VP accounts Pankaj Kumar Agarwal, ex-chief financial officer Nitin Johri, Ajay Mittal, the brother-in-law of former promoter Neeraj Singal, and Ajay Mittal's wife and sister of Neeraj Singal, Archana Mittal. After completing the corporate insolvency resolution process (CIRP), Bhushan Steel was taken over by Tata Steel Ltd in 2018. According to the ED, Bhushan Steel Limited's former Managing Director Neeraj Singal and his associates formed several shell companies and the promoters and entities linked to BSL "rotated funds from one company to another through a chain of multiple entities" as part of an alleged bank loan fraud. The money laundering case .

Civic jobs scam: ED conduct raids at residences of WB minister, TMC leaders

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday morning conducted raids at the residences of West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose, TMC MLA Tapas Roy and former North Dumdum Municipality chairman Subodh Chakraborty in connection with its probe into the irregularities in recruitments in civic bodies. Accompanied by central forces, ED officers conducted raids at two residences of Bose in the Lake Town area in North 24 Parganas district early Friday morning, he said. The central agency officers also raided Tapas Roy's BB Ganguly Street residence and Chakraborty's residence in Birati, he said. "We are conducting search operations at the residences of three TMC leaders in connection with the recruitments in civic bodies. We are also talking to the leaders," the officer told PTI.

Calcutta High Court dismisses PIL petition after attack on ED officers

The HC concluded that the ED had the technical expertise and power to protect its officers and was not 'helpless'

ED summons Farooq Abdullah for questioning in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday for questioning in a money laundering case, official sources said on Wednesday. The 86-year-old politician is understood to have been called in connection with the federal agency's investigation into alleged irregularities in the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA). The MP from Srinagar Lok Sabha seat was charge-sheeted by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case in 2022. The case relates to siphoning off the funds of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association 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 JKCA bank accounts, the ED had said. The agency's case is based on a 2018 charge-sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the same accused. The summons have asked Abdullah, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, to depose at

Attack on ED officers explosion of public grievance, says Bengal minister

West Bengal minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay on Tuesday courted controversy with his comments that the recent attack on ED officers during a raid in North 24 Parganas was a result of explosion of public grievance. Chattopadhyay, the state's agriculture minister, also claimed that such attacks will take place in other parts of the country, too, where probe agencies conduct raids. We have seen the explosion of public grievance at one place in the state Such incidents will happen at other places in India as well in future, he said at a programme. Three ED officers were injured and several of their vehicles vandalised, as hundreds of supporters of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh attacked them on January 5, when the team went to conduct a raid at his house in Sandeshkhali in connection with alleged irregularities in the state's ration system. Chattopadhyay also claimed that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has unearthed scams worth several crores of rupees in the present BJP-led regi

ED files chargesheet in Waqf Board case involving AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday filed a charge sheet in a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the recruitment of staff and leasing of assets of the Delhi Waqf Board during the chairmanship of AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, official sources said. A total of five entities have been named in the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) that includes three alleged associates of Khan-- Zeeshan Haider, Daud Nasir and Jawed Imam Siddiqui-- who were arrested by the central agency in November 2023, apart from some others, they said. Khan, the 49-year-old legislator who represents the Okhla constituency in the Delhi assembly, has not been named as an accused. The agency, after conducting raids against Khan and some others in October last year, had claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA acquired "huge proceeds of crime" in cash from illegal recruitment of staff in the Delhi Waqf Board and invested these for purchasing immovable assets in the name of his associates. Th

Railways land-for-jobs linked money laundering case: ED files charge sheet

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday filed its first charge sheet in the railways land-for-jobs linked money laundering case, naming former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi and her MP daughter Misa Bharti. An alleged "close associate" of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's family Amit Katyal, some other individuals and companies have been named in the prosecution complaint (charge sheet), they said. The charge sheet has been filed before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Delhi and the court has listed the matter to be heard on January 16, the sources said. Katyal was arrested in this case by the ED in November last year while Lalu Prasad Yadav and his son and Bihar deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav were summoned by the agency but they have not yet deposed. The alleged scam pertains to the period when Prasad was the railway minister in the UPA-1 government. It is alleged that from 2004 to 2009, several people were appointed to Group "D" positions in various zones of th

ED chief to meet team members in Kolkata today over Sandeshkhali attack

Enforcement Directorate chief Rahul Navin is scheduled to hold a meeting with its officers here on Tuesday over the attack on an ED team during a raid in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district last week. The ED unit in the state has already submitted a report to its headquarters about the incident in which three officers were injured and several of their vehicles vandalised, as hundreds of supporters of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh attacked them on January 5 when the team went to conduct the raid. "The head of the ED will chair a meeting regarding the attack. Discussions will also be held on the progress of others investigations, an officer of the probe agency told PTI. Navin, the ED director, arrived in Kolkata on Monday night. The attack took place when the ED team went to Sheikh's house in Sandeshkhali for a raid in connection with alleged irregularities in the state's ration system. The ED has already lodged a complaint at the Nazat police station in connection with the assaul

ED raids premises of Shiv Sena-UBT MLA Waikar in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday raided the premises of Shive Sena (UBT) MLA Ravindra Waikar and some of his linked entities in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in construction of a luxury hotel in Jogeshwari area of the city, official sources said. About seven locations in Mumbai are being searched by the agency, they said. These include the premises of Waikar and some of his partners and others, the sources said. Waikar, 64, is a Sena MLA from the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction and represents the Jogeshwari east constituency in the Maharashtra assembly. The money laundering case of the ED stems from a Mumbai Police economic offences wing (EOW) FIR that accuses the legislator of illegally obtaining approval for the construction of a five-star hotel on a plot reserved for a garden. It is alleged that this deal caused a huge loss to the BMC.

Court reserves order on bail plea of Lava MD in Vivo money laundering case

A court here on Monday reserved its order on the bail application of Hari Om Rai, the managing director of Lava International Company arrested in a money laundering case against Chinese smartphone-maker Vivo. Additional Sessions Judge Kiran Gupta reserved the order for January 12 after hearing the arguments of the counsels appearing for the accused and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Senior advocate Vikaram Chaudhari and advocate Nitesh Rana, appearing for Rai, told the court that he has several medical ailments, and due to these, "keeping him in jail might be disastrous". "Although the doctors in jail are good, but keeping him there will worsen his condition," the court was told by the advocates. The application was opposed by the ED. The agency said that if released on bail, the accused may tamper with evidence or influence witnesses. Rana had earlier told the court that though Rai's company and Vivo were in talks to launch a joint venture in India a decade ago, he had nothing

CBI books its ex-head constable, his family in disproportionate assets case

The CBI has booked one of its former head constables and his family members for allegedly amassing assets worth over Rs 2 crore in four years, 70 per cent more than his legitimate sources of income, officials said on Monday. Akiluzzama Khan, who was posted in the Central Bureau of Investigation's Anti-Corruption-III unit, which handles several high-profile corruption cases, was named in the FIR along with his wife and son for allegedly amassing these assets from April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2018, which could not be satisfactorily accounted for, they said. The CBI has alleged that Khan's assets skyrocketed from Rs 8,515 at the start of the check period to Rs 3.73 crore at the end of the check period on March 31, 2018. It was also found that he allegedly spent Rs 1.26 crore during this period. After deducting the legitimate income of Rs 2.93 crore earned by him and his family members, the officials said, he could not satisfactorily account for Rs 2.07 crore -- 70 per cent more than his

Those questioning law and order situation trying to malign Bengal: Mamata

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that those questioning West Bengal's law and order situation in the backdrop of the attack on Enforcement Department (ED) officers were trying to malign the state. Banerjee asserted that Kolkata has been adjudged the country's safest city for years as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). "I am not bothered about criticisms against me. But, I will protest if anyone tries to malign the state. Those questioning the law and order situation are trying to malign the state," she said, addressing the 'Students' Week' programme here. Three ED officers were injured and several of their vehicles vandalised as hundreds of supporters of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh attacked them on Friday. The attack happened when the ED team went to Sheikh's house in Sandeshkhali for a raid in connection with alleged irregularities in the state's ration system.

ED raids premises of Karnataka Cong MLA Nanjegowda in money laundering case

The premises of Karnataka Congress MLA K Y Nanjegowda and some of his linked entities were raided on Monday morning by the Enforcement Directorate as part of a money laundering investigation, official sources said. The 61-year-old legislator represents the Malur assembly seat in Kolar district. The officials of the central agency are covering the MLA's premises and those of his linked entities in Malur and Kolar as part of a investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. The ED case of money laundering is understood to have been filed on the basis of some local police FIRs related to alleged irregularities in the appointment of staff in the Kolar-Chikkaballapur District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd (KOMUL), of which he is the president, and some other charges. The office and plant of the milk cooperative in Kolar are also being searched, the sources said. As per KOMUL, it is Karnataka's second highest milk producing district ...