Page 13 - Enforcement Directorate

Extortion case: Jacqueline Fernandez deleted evidence from phone, says ED

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that Bollywood actress Jacqueline Fernandez had deleted evidence from her cell phone, and also tried to leave the country

Chinese loan app case: ED seizes Rs 78 cr after searches at 5 places

The ED said it has recently carried out search operations at five places in Bengaluru, in connection with its investigation related to the Chinese loan app case

Delhi court to hear actor Jacqueline's bail plea in PMLA case on Oct 22

A Delhi Court is scheduled to hear on Saturday the regular bail plea of Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez in connection with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) case

Chinese loan apps: ED freezes fresh deposits worth Rs 78 cr after raids

The ED on Friday said it has frozen fresh deposits worth Rs 78 crore following raids at the premises of payment gateway Razorpay and some banks as part of an ongoing money laundering probe against the alleged illegal operations of loan apps "controlled" by Chinese nationals. The searches were carried out at five premises in Bengaluru on October 19, the Enforcement Directorate said. The money laundering case stems from 18 FIRs filed by the cyber crime police station of Bengaluru police against numerous entities/persons for their involvement in extortion and harassment of the public who had availed small amounts of loans through the mobile apps being run by them. "These entities are controlled/operated by Chinese nationals. The modus operandi of these entities is to use forged documents of Indians and make them dummy directors and generate proceeds of crime. "It has come to notice that the said entities were doing their suspected/illegal business through various merchant IDs/accounts

ED attaches 7 properties of gangster-turned-politician Ansari in PMLA case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has attached seven immovable assets of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari as part of a money laundering investigation against him and his family. The properties, provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), are worth Rs 1.48 crore (registry value) while their circle rate at the time of registration was Rs 3.42 crore, the federal agency said in a statement. Ansari, a five-time former MLA, is currently lodged in a jail at Banda in Uttar Pradesh. The 59-year-old was questioned by the ED in this case last year. The agency in August had also raided the official residence of his elder brother and BSP MP Afzal Ansari in Delhi and some locations in the Ghazipur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Shardeum raises $18 mn in seed round from a clutch of 60 investors

WazirX founder Nischal Shetty, also co-founder Shardeum, says crypto world needs to work with regulatory bodies

Less than 1% of illegal money gets recovered by agencies: Interpol

On a global level, the most significant rise was seen in organised crime which was prevalent in both, the digital as well as the physical world

ED 'completely independent'; not used for vindictive purpose: Sitharaman

The Enforcement Directorate is "completely independent" in what it does, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said, refuting allegations that it is being used by the government for political or vindictive purposes. Speaking at a news conference on Saturday towards the end of her trip to Washington where she attended the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, Sitharaman denied causing any kind of fear in the corporate sector and the civil societies through two of its wingsthe Income Tax and the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Well, the ED is completely independent in what it does and it is an agency which follows on predicate offences. The first offence is already picked up by any other agency, whether it is a Central Bureau of Investigation or any other agency, and it is post that the ED comes into the picture, Sitharaman said. She dismissed fears that there is any malafide intent of using such institutions to go after sections of private capital and

IREO group money laundering case: ED attaches assets worth over Rs 1,300 cr

The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets worth more than Rs 1,317 crore of real estate group IREO, its managing director and vice president Lalit Goyal and associated entities as part of a money laundering investigation. The attached properties include land, commercial spaces, plots, residential houses and bank accounts, the federal agency said in a statement issued on Saturday. The total value of these attached properties is Rs 1,317.30 crore. The ED took cognisance of at least 30 FIRs filed in various police stations located in Gurugram, Panchkula, Ludhiana and Delhi against the group, linked entities, its directors, key managerial persons and others, to file a money laundering case. The probe found, the agency said, that the accused allegedly "duped" innocent buyers by promising them to deliver flats, plots, commercial spaces etc.However, they neither delivered the projects nor returned their money. The directors of the company in connivance with others "siphoned off" mo

Delhi Excise policy case: ED raids 25 new locations in national capital

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided at least 25 locations in the national capital as part of its ongoing money laundering investigation into the now-scrapped Delhi Excise policy, officials said. The premises covered under the search operation belong to private entities linked to liquor dealership and distributorship, they said. The federal agency has conducted multiple raids in this case till now and had also arrested Sameer Mahandru, a liquor businessman and managing director of liquor manufacturing company Indospirit, last month in the case. The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR that had named Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia as an accused among others. The scheme came under the scanner after the Delhi LG recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi's Excise Policy 2021-22. He had also suspended 11 excise officials in the matter.

ED files chargesheet against journalist Rana Ayyub in money laundering case

Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a chargesheet against journalist Rana Ayyub under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in Special Court, Ghaziabad on Wednesday.ED had initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered on September 7, 2021 by the Indirapuram police station, Ghaziabad, UP, under various sections of IPC 1860, Information Technology Amendment Act 2008 and Black Money Act against Rana Ayyub alleging that she illegally acquired funds from the general public in the name of charity by launching fund-raiser campaigns on an online crowdfunding platform-'Ketto'.It was also alleged that Rana Ayyub is a journalist by profession and received foreign contributions without registration under FCRA. ED investigation revealed that Rana Ayyub launched three fundraiser campaigns on 'Ketto platform' starting from April 2020, and collected funds totalling to Rs 2.70 crore. She collected funds in the name of helping slum dwellers and farmers, relief

ED chargesheets against Rana Ayyub; says she used public funds for herself

The Enforcement Directorate has filed a charge sheet against journalist Rana Ayyub under the anti-money laundering law, alleging that she utilised publicly raised funds of Rs 2.69 crore for herself and also contravened the foreign contribution law. The federal agency filed its prosecution complaint against Ayyub before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) on October 12. "Rana Ayyub launched three fundraiser charity campaigns on 'Ketto platform' starting from April, 2020 and collected funds totalling Rs 2,69,44,680," the ED said in a statement issued on Thursday. The campaigns, it said, were meant to raise funds for slum dwellers and farmers; relief work for Assam, Bihar and Maharashtra and help Ayyub and her team to help those impacted by COVID-19 in India. Probe found, the agency said, that the funds raised on the online platforms were received in the accounts of Ayyub's father and sister and subsequently transferred to her persona

ED arrests IAS officer, 2 others in money laundering case in Chhattisgarh

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday arrested IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi and two other people after it conducted raids in a money laundering case in Chhattisgarh, officials said. Businessman Sunil Agrawal of Indramani group and Laxmikant Tiwari, uncle of "absconding" businessman Suryakant Tiwari, have been taken into custody in the morning by the federal agency from state capital Raipur, they said. The three people have been arrested under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and will be produced before a local court, where the ED will seek their further custody. Vishnoi, CEO of the Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society, was questioned by the agency in Raipur on Wednesday. The arrests came after the agency launched multiple raids in Chhattisgarh on October 11 in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal levy extorted from transporters in the state by a purported nexus of government officials, businessmen and private entities. The agency h

ED arrests TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya in primary teachers' recruitment scam

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya in the early hours of Tuesday after night-long questioning in connection with the irregularities in the recruitment of primary teachers, officials said. Bhattacharya, the former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, was arrested for allegedly not cooperating with the investigation, they said. "Mr Bhattacharya has been arrested for his continued non-cooperating with the investigators during questioning, which began on Monday afternoon. He also tried to misdirect the investigators," an ED officer told PTI. He is the MLA of Palashipara in Nadia district. Earlier, the Supreme Court granted Bhattacharya "protection" from being arrested by the CBI, which is also investigating the case. The ED is tracking the money trail in the scam, while the CBI is looking into the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment. It is alleged that several people who fared poorly in the recruitment examinations

ED raids 12 locations in Chhatisgarh in disproportionate assets case

ED is conducting raids in Chhatisgarh at more than twelve locations belonging to government officials who are said to be close to CM Bhupesh Baghel in connection with an alleged DA case

Mumbai court extends Sanjay Raut's custody in money laundering case

A special court here on Monday extended by 14 days the judicial custody of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, an accused in a money laundering case investigated by the Enforcement Directorate. Raut was produced in the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court as his judicial custody expired on Monday. Special judge M G Deshpande, who is hearing the bail application of Raut, extended his custody by another 14 days. Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for ED, on Monday made his submissions against Raut's bail plea in the court. Raut was arrested by the ED on August 1 in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra 'chawl' in Mumbai. He is currently in judicial custody. The ED probe pertains to alleged financial irregularities of Rs 1,034 crore pertaining to the redevelopment of the chawl or tenements in suburban Goregaon and related financial transactions allegedly involving his wife and associates. Singh argued that a l

SC to hear Satyendar Jain's plea against transfer of bail plea on Tuesday

Delhi minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Satyendar Jain has moved the Supreme Court against the transfer of his bail plea in a money laundering case to another judge, on the ED's request

SC to hear on Tuesday ED's plea against HC order granting bail to Deshmukh

The Supreme Court Monday agreed to hear on Tuesday a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging the Bombay High Court order granting bail to former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in a money laundering case. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, mentioned the matter for urgent listing before a bench comprising Chief Justice U U Lalit and Justice S R Bhat. The bench said the matter will come up for hearing tomorrow before a bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud. The high court had on October 4 granted bail to Deshmukh in the case registered by the ED observing "two components of credits" in the account of his family trust were not "proceeds of crime. The high court had, however, stayed the order till October 13 after Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh said the ED will challenge it in the apex court. Two components of credits (Rs 10.42 crore and Rs 1.12 crore) in the account of a trust controlled by the Deshmukh family, flagged by the

After CBI, I'm expecting ED: Tejashwi on fresh charge sheet against parents

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, whose parents Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi were named in a fresh CBI charge sheet, on Saturday sought to link the development to the BJP's loss of power in the state where it is now pitted against a formidable multi-party 'Mahagathbandhan'. The RJD heir apparent, who had earlier mockingly asked central investigating agencies to open their offices at his residence, added tongue in cheek that after the CBI, he expected the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to swing into action. "The BJP, having lost power in Bihar, obviously has a problem with us. It also knows that it stands no chance against the Mahagathbandhan. So, in keeping with its strategy of misusing institutions, it has let loose the CBI," Yadav told reporters in reply to queries about the fresh charge sheet against Prasad, the RJD president, and Rabri Devi who is a former chief minister. The CBI has filed the charge sheet against Prasad, Rabri Devi and 14 others in connection with an ...

ED seizes Rs 1 cr cash after raids in connection with Delhi Excise policy

The Enforcement Directorate has seized about Rs 1 crore in cash after raids conducted in connection with a money laundering investigation into the alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, official sources said Saturday. The searches were launched on Friday at about 35 locations in Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Telangana's capital Hyderabad. About a crore cash has been seized from a location during the raids conducted against liquor businessmen, distribution companies and linked entities, sources said. Some digital devices and documents were also seized, they said without disclosing the locations of all the recoveries. Premises linked to a director of a Delhi-based TV news organisation, who is also on the board of a Telugu daily, a city-based businessman whose company imports and distributes various alcoholic beverages and a former Punjab MLA were also searched by ED officials, they said. The federal agency has conducted more than 103 raids in this case till now and