Latest news with #PreventionofMoneyLaunderingAct


News18
an hour ago
- Politics
- News18
ED attaches over Rs 200-crore assets in Goa land scam
New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday said it has attached properties worth more than Rs 200 crore located in prime locations of Goa as part of a money laundering investigation linked to a land 'scam' involving a man who unsuccessfully contested the 2022 assembly polls. A provisional order was issued on July 28 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach the properties. They are worth Rs 212.85 crore, the federal probe agency said. 'The probe pertains to a conspiracy of land grabbing and forgery perpetrated by an organised criminal syndicate led by Rohan Harmalkar and his accomplices," it said in a statement. Harmalkar was arrested by the ED in June and he is currently lodged in jail under judicial custody. He had contested the 2022 assembly polls but lost. The ED case stems from two FIRs registered by the Goa Police against Harmalkar and others on charges of forgery, cheating, impersonation, and use of counterfeit documents to fraudulently acquire land parcels in North Goa. The ED alleged that Harmalkar, in active conspiracy with Alcantro D'Souza and others, orchestrated a meticulously planned 'criminal enterprise" to misappropriate multiple high-value properties loacted in Anjuna, Revora, Nadora, Camurlim, Parra, and other adjoining areas falling within Bardez Taluka and Mapusa City. Investigation found, it claimed, use of forged genealogical records, fabricated sale deeds, counterfeit wills, manipulated inventory proceedings and other fraudulent documents by the accused, to falsely claim title over valuable immovable properties and to camouflage the same as legitimately held assets. A part of the alleged proceeds of crime were received 'directly" by Harmalkar, D'Souza and others and subsequently routed through accounts of their family members and associates, the agency said. The 'illicit" gains so acquired were routed through bank accounts of the key conspirators and their family members, thereby layering and integrating the tainted funds to project them as untainted, it added. The agency said it was making efforts to trace and attach more assets, which may be substantially higher in value, in order to fully unravel the extent of the laundering operation. PTI NES KVK KVK view comments First Published: July 30, 2025, 19:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
ED conducts raids in Telangana sheep-distribution 'scam' case
Hyderabad, The Enforcement Directorate conducted searches at multiple locations in Hyderabad on Wednesday as part of a money-laundering probe into a sheep rearing and distribution "scam" worth crores of rupees that allegedly took place in Telangana during the previous BRS regime, official sources said. ED conducts raids in Telangana sheep-distribution 'scam' case At least eight locations in the city related to beneficiaries and alleged middlemen involved in the scam, including the premises of G Kalyan, Officer on Special Duty to former BRS minister Talasani Srinivasa Yadav, were covered as part of the operation conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act , they said. The probe stems from a Telangana Police Anti-Corruption Bureau FIR of December 2023. The ACB arrested four government officers in February 2024. The Sheep Rearing Development Scheme was launched by the Bharat Rashtra Samithi government in the southern state in April 2017 to provide a sustainable livelihood to shepherd families and boost their income. The sources said the ED has found that though the "proceeds of crime" , according to the FIR, amounted to only ₹2.1 crore, a Comptroller and Auditor General report has pegged the loss to the state government at crores of rupees. The CAG report for the period ending in March 2021 found several "irregularities" in the implementation of the flagship SRDS like non-maintenance of beneficiary-wise details, improper record pertaining to transportation invoices and payments, payments against invoices containing registration numbers that are either fake or of passenger vehicles or non-transport vehicles, duplicate tags allotted to sheep units etc., the sources said. Allegations related to sheep units allotted to "dead or non-existent" persons are also being probed by the federal agency, they said. The CAG audit report is limited to only seven districts , whereas the estimated loss to the state government is pegged at ₹253.93 crore, the ED has found. However, on a proportionate basis for all the 33 districts in the state, the loss is likely to exceed ₹1,000 crore. The ED is probing these allegations and will arrive at a conclusion post the investigation, the sources said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.


NDTV
3 hours ago
- NDTV
Raids At 18 Places In Chhattisgarh In Rs 500 Crore Medical Supply Scam
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday launched raids at 18 locations across Chhattisgarh in connection with an alleged Rs 500 crore medical supply scam involving Mokshit Corporation and senior officials of the Chhattisgarh Medical Services Corporation (CGMSC) and Directorate of Health Services (DHS), officials said. The searches are being carried out at the premises linked to some CGMSC and DHS officials, medical suppliers, and others in Raipur, Durg, and adjoining places, they said. The ED is investigating suspected violations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The action is against alleged irregularities in purchases of medical equipment and reagent chemicals in 2023, through collusion with CGMSC officials that caused a loss of Rs 550 crore to the state exchequer. Once the rate contract was secured, officials said, the accused allegedly further manipulated DHS and CGMSC officials to issue purchase orders amounting to approximately Rs 500 crore. The raids aim to unearth evidence of financial irregularities, fraudulent procurement practices, and the alleged nexus between private entities and public officials in the state's healthcare procurement system.


India Today
3 hours ago
- Politics
- India Today
ED raids across Hyderabad in connection with Telangana sheep rearing scam probe
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple locations in Hyderabad in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Telangana government's Sheep Rearing Development Scheme, implemented during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) raids are part of a money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, and are based on state police FIRs and audit findings. At least eight locations linked to alleged middlemen and beneficiaries of the scheme, including the premises of G Kalyan, officer on special duty to former BRS minister Talasani Srinivasa Yadav, were searched, official sources ED is examining documents and digital evidence related to the fund flow and possible laundering by officials and private individuals involved in the procurement and distribution of sheep under the state's flagship scheme. Earlier, the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had arrested several senior officials, including a former CEO of the Telangana State Livestock Development Agency and the former OSD to the then Minister for Animal Husbandry. The FIRs pegged the proceeds of crime at Rs 2.1 sources in the ED said that a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has pointed to irregularities worth much more. The audit, covering just 7 of the 33 districts in Telangana, estimated a loss of Rs 253.93 included payment invoices raised using non-transport vehicles, lack of beneficiary-wise data, duplicate sheep tags, and even sheep units allegedly allotted to dead or non-existent a proportionate scale, the ED suspects the loss across all districts could exceed Rs 1,000 crore. Further developments are awaited.- EndsTune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Telangana


NDTV
4 hours ago
- Politics
- NDTV
0.1% Conviction In Corruption Cases Filed By Probe Agency ED Since January
New Delhi: Only eight or 0.1 per cent of 5,892 cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the anti-money laundering law between January 1 and June 30 have led to convictions, the government told the parliament. The data has raised questions about the outcome and efficiency of investigations done under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Fifteen people were convicted in the eight cases, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply to Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale. The ED filed prosecution complaints in 1,398 cases, or 23 per cent of all the cases filed. This figure comprises 353 supplementary prosecution complaints. Special courts under the PMLA have framed charges in 300 complaints. This included 66 supplementary complaints. In 49 cases, or 0.8 per cent, the ED filed closure reports, meaning there was no evidence or reason to investigate more. In recent years, the ED has been increasingly using the PMLA to investigate cases against leaders from Opposition parties like the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Trinamool Congress, and others. Many of these leaders had been arrested, questioned, and their assets attached over alleged financial irregularities. They have accused the central government of misusing the ED and PMLA provisions for political vendetta, pointing to the low conviction rate under the law as evidence of selective and unsubstantiated targeting.