The Enforcement Directorate has filed a 20,000-page charge sheet against 32 accused in the Rs 103.42 crore scam in Indore Municipal Corporation. Assets worth Rs 59.18 crore have been attached so far.
New Delhi [भारत]July 27 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has filed a 20,000-page detailed prosecution complaint (chargesheet) against 32 accused in connection with the alleged Rs 103.42 crore Indore Municipal Corporation fake bill scam.
The federal agency said in a statement that the accused include contractor beneficiaries, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) officials, officials of the Local Fund Audit and Resident Audit Office and other private individuals who facilitated concealment, retention, layering and utilization of the proceeds of crime.
The Indore sub-regional office of the ED filed the prosecution complaint before the Special Court (PMLA), Indore, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on July 24. The prosecution complaint has been filed seeking confiscation of attached, seized and frozen properties involved in money laundering under the provisions of PMLA, 2002. The court has issued notices and summons to the accused persons, and the case has been listed for further proceedings.
ED had started investigation on the police FIR.
The ED said it initiated the investigation on the basis of multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) filed by Police Station MG Road, Indore. These FIRs pertained to fraudulent withdrawal of public funds from the treasury of Indore Municipal Corporation by submitting fake bills, forged work orders, fabricated measurement books, false completion certificates, manipulated note-sheets and other forged records. These were in respect of works which were either not executed or had already been completed under the original work order.
This is how the scam money was deposited
The ED investigation revealed that “various accused contractor firms in collusion with IMC officials and officials of the Local Fund Audit and Resident Audit Office prepared forged work-order files and fake bills and thereby fraudulently withdrew public money amounting to about Rs 103.42 crore from the coffers of the IMC.”
“The fraudulent funds were withdrawn in cash, distributed among contractors, public servants and other beneficiaries, transferred to related and associated entities under the guise of business transactions, mixed with other funds and used for acquisition of movable and immovable properties and personal expenses,” the ED said.
Assets worth more than Rs 59 crore attached
During the investigation, the ED conducted searches at 20 premises on August 5, 2024 and August 6, 2024, seizing and freezing assets worth approximately Rs 22.04 crore, which includes cash, bank balances, fixed deposits, demat holdings and mutual funds. Apart from this, objectionable documents and digital evidence were also recovered. Subsequently, the ED also provisionally attached 52 immovable properties worth approximately Rs 37.14 crore through two provisional attachment orders issued under the provisions of PMLA, 2002. The attached properties include commercial properties, residential houses and plots, and agricultural lands located in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Thus, assets totaling approximately Rs 59.18 crore have been provisionally attached, seized or frozen in this case so far.
Three arrested including scam kingpin
In its ongoing investigation, the ED has arrested alleged kingpin of the scam Abhay Singh Rathore along with Mohammed Zakir and Rahul Badera under Section 19 of PMLA, 2002 for their central role in conspiring and laundering the proceeds of crime. (ANI)
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