BackSaradha scam: ED seizes `140 cr assets
Summons issued to many entities over money laundering charges
Premium
New Delhi/Kolkata: Widening its probe into the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, the enforcement directorate (ED) has issued summons to numerous entities over money laundering charges even as it has attached assets worth ₹ 140 crore of individuals and firms.
The central probe agency has also issued a notice asking general public “to furnish information and particulars of properties, both movable and immovable as well as bank accounts, in the state of West Bengal and other places, if any, related to Saradha Group known to them, with specific details" to it.
The agency’s zonal office in Kolkata recently issued summons to around 15 people involved in the funds transactions of the scam that was being perpetrated largely in West Bengal, Odisha and Assam and came to the fore early last year after duped investors cried foul.
The agency has asked those involved in the case, including some sitting and former MPs and their family members, to present themselves or send their authorized representatives for recording of their statements under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) before 25 April.
The notices come in the backdrop of the agency, last week, attaching ₹ 105.62 crore assets of various entities involved in the case including Saradha Group’s director Sudipta Sen and his wife Piyali.
It had attached ₹ 34 crore worth of assets earlier in the same probe.
The agency has till now issued attachment orders on all equity shares of all 224 companies of the Saradha Group, insurance policies in the name of Sen and his wife, numerous land properties and plots, 390 bank accounts and equity shares of a TV channel run by the beleaguered group.
The agency has also issued an advisory that no one should “transact" in these attached assets without seeking permission of the agency.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
