THE ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE ATTACHES RS.36 CR. ASSETS OF ..

THE ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE ATTACHES RS.36 CR. ASSETS OF CHHATTISGARH IAS OFFICER

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth Rs 36 crore of suspended Chhattisgarh official B.L. Agrawal, who allegedly laundered money through fake bank accounts, an officer said on Tuesday.The ED had registered a money laundering case against him based on a 2010 CBI FIR on charges of alleged disproportionate assets amassed by the bureaucrat.Agrawal, an Indian Administrative Service officer then Principal Secretary (Higher Education) in the Chhattisgarh government, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 21 on charge of trying to “settle” a case being probed by the central agency against him.
The attached property belongs to Agarwal and Raipur-based Prime Ispat Ltd, a compnay owned by his brothers.With “active connivance of bank officials”, Agarwal is alleged to have opened 446 benami bank accounts in the names of villagers in the Union Bank of India, Raipur.

ED has attached assets worth Rs 36.09 crore under the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act).The agency said that the funds were moved from the benami bank accounts to 13 shell companies operated by Agrawal, by way of investment.