A former Madhya Pradesh Transport Department official who was recently searched by the state Lokayukta Police on suspicion of possessing disproportionate assets and a “linked” seizure of Rs 52 crore in cash and gold from an abandoned SUV has been charged with money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 ( PMLA ) by the Enforcement Directorate.
In order to bring former Transport Department constable Saurabh Sharma and a few others to justice, the central agency has filed an Enforcement Case Information Report ( ECIR ) under several provisions of the PMLA.
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According to the sources cited in Deccan Heralds, the case was launched in response to the Lokayukta Police FIR. Following a raid on Sharma’s Bhopal property last week, the Lokayukta Police seized valuables valued at over Rs 3 crore, including Rs 2.85 crore in cash. The Income-Tax Department then confiscated 52 kg of gold bars valued at Rs 40 crore and over Rs 11 crore in cash from an abandoned SUV in Bhopal on December 20.
According to the reports, the car was discovered registered in the name of a man named Chetan Singh Gaur, who was allegedly Sharma’s “close associate.” The two incidents may be “connected, and an investigation is underway to find the facts,” according to the sources. According to reports, Sharma voluntarily retired from his position almost a year ago.
According to the sources, the ED has information about these incidents from the I-T Department and the Lokayukta Police. According to the sources, it may call these two individuals and a few others connected to them in the next few days for interrogation.
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