Page 9 - Enforcement Directorate

IAS officer, builders misused power in high-value fraud case, says ED

Former Vasai-Virar civic chief Anil Pawar and three others, held in a money laundering case, demonstrated a "deliberate" misuse of administrative powers and financial system to perpetrate a high-value fraud, the Enforcement Directorate told a Mumbai court on Wednesday. "Hawala and angadia" channels were used to launder the proceeds of crime, not just within Maharashtra, but across other states too, the ED told the special court, which later sent the quartet, including two real estate developers, to jail a week after their arrest. The hawala system refers to an informal channel for transferring funds from one location to another. Hawala operations are deemed illegal cash transactions in India. Angadias are traditional couriers who offer their services to transfer cash, diamonds and jewellery for a fee. Besides IAS officer Pawar, Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) town planner Y Shiva Reddy and two builders -- Sitaram Gupta and Arun Gupta -- are the other accused in the ..

TMC accuses govt of bringing bills to let CBI, ED 'topple' state govts

Trinamool Congress MPs on Wednesday accused the government of bringing new bills to allow the CBI and ED to "directly topple" state governments. The remarks came as the government is planning to introduce three bills in Parliament on Wednesday for the removal of a prime minister, a Union minister, a chief minister or a minister of a state or Union Territory when arrested or detained on serious criminal charges for 30 days in a row. If any one of them is arrested and detained in custody for consecutive 30 days for offences that attract a jail term of at least five years, they will lose their job on the 31st day. These bills are the Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill 2025; the Constitution (One Hundred And Thirtieth Amendment) Bill 2025; and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2025. Flaying the bills, TMC Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale charged that Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are looking for "new tricks" to topple state ...

ED raids Tamil Nadu Minister I Periyasamy, son in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday searched multiple premises linked to Tamil Nadu Minister and DMK leader I Periyasamy and his MLA son as part of a money laundering investigation, official sources said. The raids were undertaken in Chennai and Dindigul under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The premises of I P Sentilkumar, the son of the 72-year-old minister for rural development, panchayats and panchayat unions, were also searched, according to the sources. Periyasamy represents the Athoor assembly constituency in Dindigul district. There was no immediate comment from Periyasamy or the DMK on the ED action. The money laundering investigation stems from an April order of the Madras High Court, which directed a special court in Dindigul to frame charges against Periyasamy and his family members in connection with a Rs 2.1 crore "disproportionate" assets case. The order came in response to some criminal revision petitions filed by the Directorate of Vigilance and

Vasai-Virar ex-civic chief took bribes to protect illegal construction: ED

Former Vasai-Virar civic commissioner Anil Pawar, arrested in a money laundering case, took "substantial" bribe for turning a blind eye and not taking action against rampant illegal constructions in the twin-city, the Enforcement Directorate told a special court on Thursday. The IAS officer formed a "gang" involving senior officers and junior engineers, among others, soon after taking charge as the civic commissioner three years ago and charged "huge" commission for granting permissions for construction of buildings, the probe agency alleged. Pawar and three others, including two builders, arrested in the case were remanded to ED custody till August 20 by the court. Besides Pawar, Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) town planner Y Shiva Reddy and two builders -- Sitaram Gupta and Arun Gupta -- were arrested on Wednesday by the central agency in connection with the case linked to illegal constructions. They were produced before a special judge handling cases under the ...

ED freezes mule accounts worth ₹110 cr in PMLA case against Parimatch

The Cyprus-based betting platform is accused of duping investors with high-return promises, generating over ₹3,000 crore annually, and routing funds via mule accounts

ED questions Suresh Raina in alleged 'illegal' online betting app case

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina was on Wednesday questioned by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged illegal online betting app-linked money laundering case, official sources said. Rains (38) was seen interacting with CISF personnel and Enforcement Directorate (ED) staff outside the agency's office in central Delhi before he marked his attendance at around 11 am. The federal probe agency recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of the investigation linked to a sports betting app (application) named 1xBet, the sources said. The former Indian cricketer is understood to have been linked to the app through certain endorsements. The ED wants to understand his links with this app, any endorsement fee earned and the mode of communication between the two parties, according to the sources. The agency had recently called representatives of Google and Meta for questioning as part of this probe. It also conducted multi-state searches on Tuesd

ED raids against UP realty group for ₹248 cr fraud with home buyers

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches against an Uttar Pradesh-based realty group as part of a money laundering probe against it for allegedly duping investors to the tune of Rs 248 crore, official sources said. At least eight premises in Lucknow and two in Delhi are being searched in the case against Rohtas Projects Ltd., the sources said. The action is being carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. The money laundering case stems from as many as 87 FIRs filed by home/commercial space buyers since 2021 alleging they were duped and not given their properties. As per a forensic audit conducted by the UP RERA (Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority), the "proceeds of crime" in this case is Rs 248 crore, the sources said. The searches are being conducted with an aim to find evidence and the assets of the promoters for attachment as they are "absconding" since the last four years, the sources claimed. The promoters of th

ED raids Karnataka Cong MLA, others in illegal iron ore export case

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday raided premises linked to Karnataka Congress MLA Satish Krishna Sail and some others as part of a money laundering investigation against the legislator in a case related to alleged illegal export of iron ore, official sources said. At least 15 premises in Karnataka, Goa and Mumbai are being searched under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said. Sail is a Congress MLA representing the Karwar assembly constituency in Uttara Kannada district. Sail, according to the sources, has been accused of exporting illegally mined iron ore which was seized by forest officials at Belekeri port in Karwar, Karnataka. This caused "loss" to government exchequer for an amount of about Rs 38 crore but the actual value of illegally exported ore is worth hundreds of crores of rupees, the sources said. The case originated from a 2010 probe by the Karnataka Lokayukta, which discovered about eight lakh tons of illegally transported iron ore f

ED files supplementary prosecution complaint in Amtek Auto bank fraud case

ED files supplementary complaint naming 56 accused in Amtek Auto fraud involving loan diversion, stock manipulation, and asset concealment, with Rs 6,261 crore attached

Actor Rana Daggubati appears before ED in online betting linked PMLA case

Actor Rana Daggubati on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here in connection with a money laundering case involving illegal online betting and gambling by certain platforms. The federal agency has issued summons to four actors--Prakash Raj, Vijay Deverakonda, Rana Daggubati and Lakshmi Manchu-- last month, asking them to appear on different dates at the agency's zonal office here for questioning in the case. Raj and Deverakonda earlier appeared. The actors had "endorsed" online betting apps allegedly involved in generating "illicit" funds, according to official sources. During their appearance, the agency is expected to record the statements of the actors under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED had taken cognisance of as many as five state police FIRs to register its case against these actors and a number of other celebrities and social media influencers. These individuals are suspected to have "endorsed" online betting a

ED to widen alleged Rs 17,000 crore bank-fraud investigation probe

The agency is also likely to call for questioning former senior officials of Canara Bank and Bank of Baroda

Datanomics: Bank fraud accounts for 30% of cases investigated by ED

The number of fraud cases investigated by the ED has been steadily increasing, over a decade till 2024

ED files chargesheet over betting app scam linked to Chinese national

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet before a special PMLA court in Ahmedabad against the operators of a online betting and football app launched by a Chinese national, which allegedly cheated a number of persons, officials said on Friday. The prosecution complaint was filed on Thursday in the case against 'Dani Data App', the central investigative agency said in a statement. The operators of the app, apart from nine others, have been named as accused in the chargesheet filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the statement said. "The app launched by a Chinese national collected funds in the name of betting and playing football games on apps downloaded from Google Play Store and through WhatsApp referral groups. "The gullible investors were lured by promising guaranteed return of 0.75 per cent per game, which was a false promise," the ED said. The funds were collected, it said, through a number of merchant IDs opened with ...

Supreme Court slams ED, questions low conviction rate in PMLA cases

The top court criticised the Enforcement Directorate, saying it "cannot act like a crook", citing concerns over its low conviction rate and the need to safeguard individual freedoms

ED raids 12 sites in Rs 750 cr fake input tax credit scam across 3 states

Fresh ED raids across Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Maharashtra target shell firms and suspects linked to Rs 750-cr fake input tax credit scam under PMLA investigation

ED recovered ₹23K cr laundered money, distributed it to victims: SG to SC

The Enforcement Directorate has recovered around Rs 23,000 crore laundered money and distributed it to the victims of financial crimes, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court on Thursday. The statement was made by the top law officer before a special bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma during the open court hearing on a batch of pleas seeking review of the controversial May 2 judgement of the apex court. The apex court had on May 2 ordered liquidation of Bhushan Power & Steel Limited (BPSL) while setting aside a resolution plan of JSW Steel Limited for the ailing firm. The CJI-led bench on July 31 recalled the verdict and decided to hear afresh the review pleas in the high stake matter. During the hearing on the review pleas, a lawyer referred to the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) probe in the BPSL case as well. Here also ED is there, the CJI quipped. In response, the solicitor general said, Let me tell a fact, which was never

ED raids in Lucknow in money laundering case against ex-UP Invest CEO

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted searches here in connection with a money laundering case against suspended IAS officer and former Invest Uttar Pradesh CEO Abhishek Prakash, official sources said. Four premises linked to alleged middleman Nikant Jain, who allegedly asked for a bribe on behalf of Prakash, are being searched in the city under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said. Apart from Jain's house, two premises registered as offices of companies related to him and his family members are being searched. The fourth is a hotel where his family members are common directors, they said. Jain was arrested earlier by Uttar Pradesh Police. Prakash, a 2006-batch IAS officer, was suspended in March this year by the Uttar Pradesh government after an investor in the solar industry lodged a complaint alleging that Jain demanded a commission to facilitate approvals for projects.

ED conducts raids at 11 sites in ₹260 crore global cyber fraud case

ED searches 11 locations in Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Dehradun in ₹260 crore cyber fraud case involving fake law enforcement calls, tech support scams and crypto laundering via UAE hawala

ED conducts raids under PMLA in NCR, Uttarakhand in global cyber fraud case

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple premises in the national capital region and Uttarakhand as part of a money laundering probe linked to a global cyber fraud ring in which Indian and foreign nationals were duped of funds worth crores of rupees, official sources said. The raids are being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and are covering at least 11 premises located in Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Dehradun, the sources said. Fraudsters based in these cities were "cheating" Indian and foreign nationals by impersonating as police or investigating agency officers and they "extorted" money by threatening them with consequences of arrest, they said. The fraudsters also impersonated as Microsoft and Amazon technical support service agents to "cheat" the victims. The agency found that the monetary assets of the victims were converted into crypto currencies and transferred to the accused. The accused generated about Rs 260 cror

₹17K cr loan fraud case: ED likely to summon Anil Ambani again in 10 days

The Enforcement Directorate may summon Anil Ambani again in the Rs 17,000-crore loan fraud case after he sought 10 days to gather documents and clarify financial decisions