According to the reports, the Seashore Group of companies collected money from people from 2006. Such collections were done without the permission of the Reserve Bank of India and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The company had invested the collected money in several sectors.
Presently, the ED has started investigating into the old chit-fund cases, looking for political links in the Rs 578-crore scam. As a part of this, the ED grilled Das on Monday for the second time. The ED had quizzed him last Friday as well.
Also Read: Seashore chit fund scam: Charges framed against ex-Choudwar-Cuttack MLA Pravat Biswal
The ED has been interrogating Das because it is said that the ED is convinced that more assets of Das haven’t been attached as yet.
It is alleged that the people involved in several chit fund cases be it Seashore chit fund, AT chit fund or Rose Valley chit fund are now out on bail and are maintaining luxurious lives. Hence, they are now coming under the scanner of the ED. The agency is now reportedly quizzing them to find leads so that more assets can be attached. They have been summoned to depose before the ED in phases. The ED is learnt to be looking into their political links.
Notably, the ED had attached Seashore Group’s assets worth over Rs 150 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in December 2014. It had again attached the company’s properties worth Rs 84 crore in January 2015.
After the searches which lasted for a few hours, the ED officials took her into custody.
Kavitha, the daughter of BRS President and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, will be brought to New Delhi by a flight on Friday night, sources said.
Tension prevailed outside her residence in the evening as BRS leaders and workers gathered there on learning about her arrest and raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ED.
BRS Working President and her brother K.T. Rama Rao and senior leader and cousin T. Harish Rao reached Kavitha’s house but were stopped outside. The ED officials later allowed them into the house.
Talking to reporters, BRS leader and former minister V. Prashanth Reddy termed the arrest "illegal" and alleged that the Modi government resorted to the action to create fear among BRS leaders ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
He claimed that the ED team came to her residence with a plan to arrest her.
"They said they came to conduct a search but now we came to know that they are taking her to Delhi by 8.45 p.m. flight," he said.
The BRS leader said Kavitha was arrested even as her petition in the Supreme Court seeking orders to restrain the ED from arresting her in a money laundering case was to come up for hearing on March 19.
Prashanth Reddy said the BRS would fight this act of political vendetta by the BJP in people’s court.
The ED already questioned the former MP on a few occasions in the past. However, she has not appeared before the summons by the agency since October last year. Kavitha had approached the Supreme Court, challenging the summons.
As per reports, Prayaskanti deposed before the ED at 10.30 am. Three teams of the ED are said to be interrogating him. It is learned that the ED officials recorded his statements and came to know that information on his mobile phone had been deleted. So, three teams including a technical team and two expert teams are on the job of retrieving deleted information.
As per the latest report, the grilling is still going on and it may continue till night.
Also Read: BJD MLA Prafulla Samal deposes before ED in engg college land case
According to sources, the possibility of his arrest can’t be ruled out.
Notably, the officials of the Enforcement Directorate had raided 10 places linked to Samal on February 15. The legislator had then termed the raids as vindictive. The ED had also raided the house of the former principal of Barapada Engineering College.
On February 16, the ED had (ED) seized a high-end car and cash worth Rs 10 lakh from the house of Prayaskanti. On February 17, the ED had summoned the father-son duo. And, on February 28, senior Samal deposed before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Bhubaneswar.
ED had summoned Archana and her husband Jagabandhu Chand for questioning. After around one hour, the couple came out of the ED office.
While responding to the queries of reporters, Archana said that she can't divulge what information she shared with the ED as the matter is sub judice.
However, when asked about her being made a scapegoat, she said that the political leaders and administrative officers involved in the case would soon be dragged to the court.
Also Read: Honey trap mastermind Archana Nag's two high-end SUVs to go under hammer
“A conspiracy was hatched against me and I am still the target of the conspiracy. I am capable enough to defend it,” she said.
“The influential politicians and administrative officers of Odisha who are involved in the case and who have made me a medium to hide their own faults will now be dragged to the court. They can’t escape,” she added.
When asked about the identities of the politicians and administrative officers she was referring to, she said that the time will come when the media will know who they are.
It is pertinent to mention that the ED is currently active in the country and conducting series of raids to nab corrupt ministers. Three senior leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi are now in jail; their Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been asked to appear before the court after skipping summons. Everyone knows what happened with former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren after he was found involved in corruption.
Coming back to Odisha, the ED raids ahead of the crucial general elections has heated up the political atmosphere. The major question now is after Prafulla Samal, who’s next? Will the ED take action against other tainted leaders in Odisha?
In August 2023, the ED had filed a second supplementary prosecution complaint against BJD’s former MLA Pravat Ranjan Biswal and his wife in connection with the multi-crore chit fund scam. CBI court later framed charges against both of them. Before that, the ED had already attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs. 3.92 crore of Biswal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Similarly, another BJD MLA Sudhanshu Sekhar Parida was accused of swindling crores of rupees in the name of subsidy procurement equipments from farmers. Later, he was expelled from the party. Allegations of corruption are galore. The ruling BJD has been allegedly involved in irregularities worth around Rs 9 lakh crore in the state’s mining sector, even the M B Shah Commission's report has mentioned mining scam to the tune of Rs 60,000 crore.
Another unsolved mystery is the sensational blackrose case. Will ED reopen the case? In 2009, MV BlackRose, a Mongolian cargo ship carrying large amount of tonne iron ore and other minerals illegally capsized in Bay of Bengal off Paradip coast. OTV investigation based on documents obtained from Paradip Port Trust revealed that family members of Jajpur MLA Pranab Prakash Das have links and are associated with Rector Mines, which was one of the two companies that used to transport cargo in MV Black Rose vessel. As per the records, Rector Mines had earlier changed its name from Seven Hills in which former minister and Jajpur MLA Pranab Prakash Das was a share holder. The revelation had stirred a political row in Odisha with opposition going all guns blazing against the ruling BJD.
Be it sapling scam, Omfed scam, cooperative bank loan scam, or the alleged irregularities in Odisha Health Department, the list is endless. It remains to be seen in which direction the ED probe heads now, and who is in their list next.
The ED had arrested lady blackmailer Archana Nag under the Money Laundering Act on December 13, 2022. On November 18, 2022, an SUV was found abandoned in the Mancheswar industrial estate area. Later, the ED had confiscated the SUV along with another SUV.
To auction off these two vehicles, the agency has put in a request application in court. The purchase price of these two vehicles is learned to be Rs 56 lakh.
Also Read: Honey trap mastermind Archana Nag walks out of jail after 14 months, vows to 'expose everyone'
After spending 14 months in Jharpada jail in Bhubaneswar, Archana was released on December 12, 2023.
Nag was accused of extorting money from influential people by blackmailing them with objectionable videos. She was first arrested on October 6, 2022, after her former associate, Shradhanjali Behera lodged a complaint at the Khandagiri Police Station on October 2, 2022. Shradhanjali had accused Nag, her husband Jagabandhu Chand, and their associate Khageswar Patra of trapping her in their racket and forcing her to blackmail the bigwigs.
The search operations were carried out on February 8 at 19 locations in Odisha, Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 related to M/s. Golden Land Developers Limited and others.
The ED had taken up the investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI, SPE, Kolkata under various Sections of IPC 1860 against M/s Golden Land Developers Limited.
The ED investigation revealed that accused persons, entities and companies associated with M/s Golden Land Developers Limited allegedly raised huge amounts of money from the public in the garb of real estate development.
“They had floated illegal financial businesses/schemes of lump sum deposits, recurring Deposits, RD/Monthly investment schemes (MIS), YLY plan, etc. in the guise of plot booking without any approval of the regulatory authorities such as RBI, SEBI, ROC, by alluring the depositors of higher returns against the deposits made in the company,” the ED said in a release.
According to ED, large-scale diversion of cash to sister concerns and to the accounts of directors and associates has also been unearthed. “Various incriminating documents including property papers of 1500 acres related to the case and digital devices have also been seized from various premises,” the ED added.
As per initial reports, the raids are being conducted at 10 places in Odisha including Ganjam and Bhubaneswar. Apart from this, raids are also underway on the properties linked to Golden Land Developers Limited which is a Delhi-based company.
Also Read: Chit fund scam: 16 acre land of Golden Land Developers seized
The Company was registered in 2008 and Cuttack ADM had earlier auctioned some land of the chit-fund company in Ganjam and other parts of the state in June 2016. The bidders had participated in an auction for 2 acres and 101 decimals of land at Chhatrapur and 83 decimals at Tikiti.
Sources said the Delhi-based firm was booked in six cases for cheating depositors to the tune of several crores in 2013.
Today, the officials of the ED are carrying out raids on the houses of the Company’s Director, manager and other officials in Odisha. Only after a proper investigation, it can be ascertained what has been found by the investigating agency.
Singham - a US citizen currently located in Shanghai - was issued fresh summons to record his statement with the central agency last month through the Ministry of External Affairs with the Chinese authorities, a source said.
Earlier last year, the Chinese authorities had reportedly refused to serve summons to Singham.
The ED is probing how Singham's media company was promoting Chinese propaganda in India.
Notably, the Delhi Police had arrested NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha and the company's HR Head Amit Chakravarty last month on charges of alleged anti-India activities.
As part of its inquiry, the ED had attached a flat in New Delhi's Saket linked to Prabir Purkayashta, editor-in-chief of NewsClick, in connection with its money laundering probe against the news portal.
The property worth Rs 4.52 crore attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was allegedly part of the proceeds of crime.
ED is probing "fraudulent" foreign funds infusion of over Rs 86 crore into the company that runs the portal.
The probe agency had raided Purkayastha's premises in September 2021.
As per ED officials, the company claimed "receiving export remittance" of Rs 76.84 crore, Rs 1.61 crore, Rs 26.98 lakh, and Rs 2.03 lakh from Justice and Education Fund Inc USA, The Tricontinental Ltd Inc USA, GSPAN LLC USA and Centro Popular De Midas, Brazil, from March 2018 until the 2021 raids.
Officials said the agency has not found any evidence of exporting of services to these entities. ED is also probing at the foreign direct investment (FDI) transfer of Rs 9.59 crore in April 2018 by way of subscription of shares of PPK NEWSCLICK Studio Pvt Ltd from a company named Worldwide Media Holdings LLC, USA (a Delaware Limited Liability Company).
They said the company shut shop soon after this transfer of funds.
ED suspects the funds routed through Justice and Education Fund Inc USA belonged to Singham.
The probe agency has alleged Singham is a "close confidant" of Purkayastha and a "Chinese emphasizer".
Purkayastha and Chakravarty are currently in judicial custody.
(Except for the headline, this story, from a syndicated feed, has not been edited by Odishatv.in staff)
The ED in a statement said that it carried out searches on Friday at various locations in Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Hubballi (Karnataka) and Mumbai (Maharashtra).
The ED action is based on the basis of an FIR registered by Madhya Pradesh Police in relation to illegal online betting case involving Satta Matka Apps.
The financial probe agency said that its probe revealed that illegal online betting app such as Dhangames and other Satta Matka Apps were being operated in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and other parts of the country to lure unsuspecting masses.
"The app allowed users to register via mobile number and transfer money to Dhangames wallet via UPI and indulge into betting," it said.
The agency said that illegal money generated through these Satta Matka Apps were laundered through web of bogus bank accounts opened by Lokesh Verma in the names of dummy persons by misusing their KYC documents to run the betting operations.
"The proceeds of crime generated from betting operations in the benami bank accounts were laundered and utilized for buying immovable properties," it said.
During the search operations various incriminating documents, digital devices and unaccounted cash of Rs 46.5 lakh were found and seized, it added.
The ED has filed Prosecution Complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) against the three aforesaid companies before the special MPLA court with a prayer for the conviction of the accused and confiscation of properties involved in the money laundering worth over Rs 21 crore.
The accused chief managing directors and directors of the companies have been identified as Subash Agarwal, Anil Agarwal, Shoumendra Keshari Pattanayak and Shiv Kumar Shingla.
Notably, Madhya Pradesh Road and Construction Limited had awarded the tender to the companies to construct a road. Later, the tender was cancelled as they couldn’t finish the construction within the stipulated time. Because of this, the companies failed to repay the loans they had availed from a bank. The concerned bank then lodged a complaint against the companies.
Initially, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was investigating the case and even filed charge sheet. Later the ED took up the case.
Notably, the court has accepted the ED’s application for a hearing.
The complaint has been lodged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 on 4/8/2023. In its complaint, the directorate has requested the Court for conviction of the accused and confiscation of the confirmed attached properties worth Rs 46 lakh.
The Special Court took cognizance of the Prosecution Complaint on August 9, 2023.
Notably, the accused persons had blocked management seats in different colleges in the State. Subsequently, they duped aspiring students by taking money from them with the promise of proving them MBBS seats under the management quota.
The ED had initiated an investigation under PMLA on the basis of FIR and charge sheet filed by CID, Crime Branch Odisha under various sections of IPC against Raghunath Behera, Soumyakanta Mohanty and others in connection with duping a number of gullible students of Odisha and beyond with a false promise to provide MBBS seats in different Medical colleges.
There were various other FIRs registered and chargesheets filed by different police stations in Odisha against accused persons and their accomplices in similar matters, the ED said.
Earlier, the ED had attached assets worth Rs 46 lakh by issuing a Provisional Attachment Order dated 09/12/2022 which was subsequently confirmed by the Ld. Adjudicating Authority (PMLA) on 01/06/2023.
The ED seized the vehicle under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
'Golden Baba' allegedly cheated people to the tune of Rs 5.50 crore by promising to provide loans to them. Needy businessmen and common people in Odisha were among his victims.
The ED investigation was initiated on the basis of a charge sheet and FIR registered against the accused by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Bhubaneswar, on charges of money laundering under PMLA.
“Golden Baba, in the capacity of the sole proprietor of Jyoti Trading & Co., had signed several agreements with various persons and entities to provide financial assistance in their business and defrauded people by siphoning off the advance amount through creation of forged and fabricated documents and diverting the money received through the act in various accounts opened in the name of Jyoti Trading & Co. and other companies controlled by him,” the ED said.
Earlier, Rs. 50.47 lakh deposited in three bank accounts maintained in the name of Golden Baba was freezed under PMLA on January 20, 2022. One AUDI Q5 vehicle was also seized under PMLA on April 26 this year.
Rujira Narula was questioned for around four hours.
She was seen coming out of the ED office with a smile on her face. She, however, refused to interact with the media and did not answer any of the questions asked by the reporters.
The ED officials were also light-lipped.
According to sources, she was questioned by a three-member team of ED officials who arrived from Delhi to Kolkata on Thursday morning.
They came with a three-page questionnaire containing around 25 questions pertaining to different financial transactions.
The questioning at the ED office in Salt Lake began on Thursday afternoon.
Although the scheduled time of her arrival was 11 a.m., she arrived at around 12.30 p.m., and the questioning began soon after that.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday refused to answer any questions from the media on the matter.
"This is my family matter. Please do not ask me any questions on this issue. Rujira is a good woman. She is extremely calm," the Chief Minister said at the state secretariat.
On June 5, Rujira Narula was first stopped by the immigration department at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport from boarding a Dubai-bound aircraft citing a lookout notice by the ED.
Soon after that, she was served a notice by the ED, asking her to be present for questioning at the agency's office on Thursday.
According to ED sources, the probe agency has alleged that Durgesh Pathak, the AAP MLA, had directed Chaudhary to brief Nair on how to react before the investigating bodies.
The sources said that this is the most crucial evidence which establishes that a deep rooted conspiracy was hatched by the accused.
"Chaudhary, the national secretary of AAP, allegedly had a telephone conversation with Nair, during which Chaudhary could be heard directing Nair not to disclose the true facts," the sources said, adding that the call was made on August 28, 2022, soon after Nair was asked to join the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
"We will state true facts but only in those lines in which we have to. And if you (Nair) think that we should not disclose things, prepare your mind not to disclose. They (CBI/ED) might ask you twenty kinds of questions but don't state true facts, even we have to lie," the recordings say.
Chaudhary was also summoned in the matter, and his statement was recorded. His mobile phone was seized by the probe agencies, and later the recording was retrieved.
The ED's case is based on the FIR of the CBI.
The ED has as of now filed four charge sheets in the matter, a main charge sheet and three supplementary.
It is all set to file another supplementary charge sheet in the matter.
The ED has alleged in the charge sheet that it was Vijay Nair, who orchestrated this entire scam. Vijay Nair is in jail in the Delhi liquor scam case.
The ED said that Nair is not an ordinary worker of the AAP but a close associate of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and was closely interacting with the Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on the excise policy related matters.
Nair, as per his statement under section 50 of PMLA, 2002, functions from the camp office of Arvind Kejriwal.
Nair, since 2020, has been residing in the government bungalow allotted to Cabinet Minister Kailash Gehlot who is a part of GoM of Excise Policy 2021-22.
Since Nair does not have any other residence in Delhi he started living in Gehlot's house. Gehlot lives at another private residence in Najafgarh.
"Nair had arranged a meeting of the owner/controller of Indo Spirits Sh Sameer Mahandru, with Arvind Kejriwal and when that didn't materialise, he arranged a video call through facetime on his phone for Sameer and Arvind Kejriwal. In the video call, Arvind said to Sameer that Vijay was his boy and that Sameer should trust him and carry on with him," read the charge sheet.
These facts are relevant to mention so as to establish the abatement of his actions in relation to the excise policy scam, by the political leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
More skeletons keep tumbling out of the cupboard!
— Baijayant Jay Panda (@PandaJay) February 3, 2023
With ED revealing a new thread on the #LiquorScam, get ready for bizarre counter claims. But fascinating to see how chief protagonists of India Against Corruption getting trapped by the same Genie they used to hoodwink people!
The ED has alleged in the charge sheet that Nair is In-charge of Media and Communication for the AAP, had no role in the Delhi government. In fact he acted as a broker on behalf of the top leaders of the AAP for getting kickbacks from various stakeholders in the Delhi Liquor business in exchange of favourable outcomes (policy changes) in the Excise Policy of 2021-22, which was being drafted at that time, said the charge sheet.
"He (Nair) even threatened the stakeholders who were not agreeing to his demands that the changes suitable/desired by them may not go through entirely if they do not concede to his demands," the charge sheet read.
According to sources, the national probe agency has issued notices to the trio asking them to show cause as to why their property will not be attached.
"There is a high possibility of ED attaching the property of Archana Nag, her husband and their associate, as the trio cannot provide necessary documents supporting sources of their income. The ED may attach their all movable and immovable assets," senior lawyer Manas Chand said.
Meanwhile, the district judge court in Bhubaneswar has allowed the probing agency to grill Archana and her associate Patra inside the jail on January 4 and 5, respectively. At present, the trio are lodged at Jharpada jail in Bhubaneswar.
In a fresh development, Odia film producer Pramod Swain on Tuesday deposed before the ED for the third time. The probing agency questioned him regarding financial transactions of Archana, sources informed.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Police had arrested Archana on October 7 on charges of honey-trapping bigwigs and extorting money from them.
Later, on October 21, Nag’s husband Jagabandhu Chand was also arrested from their Satya Vihar residence in Bhubaneswar.
The ED initiated an investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the basis of an FIR registered against Jena, the former 'Safei Mohareer' (cleaning assistant), posted in the office of Additional Sub-Collector (settlement) in Puri district by the Vigilance police station, Bhubaneswar, for offences committed under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
A charge-sheet was filed before the Special Judge Court, Vigilance, Bhubaneswar, against Jena.
The charge-sheet revealed that Jena, during the relevant period, had "illicitly enriched" himself and his family members by acquiring assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, to the tune of Rs 1.88 crore.
An ED investigation under PMLA revealed that Jena had acquired monetary proceeds through indulgence in criminal activities, concealed it and invested the same in the acquisition of various assets.
The national probing agency produced Archana before the court on Sunday after her six-day remand period ended today and sought the court's permission to take her on remand for two more days for further questioning which was later turned down by the court.
In the first phase, ED had taken Archana on a seven-day remand for interrogation. But reports claim that accused Archana didn’t cooperate with ED during the entire interrogation process.
As of now, the digital evidence of the accused couple is yet to be submitted by the forensic lab.
Previously, ED interrogated the accused couple in this regard but Archana did not cooperate citing health issues.
“I was waiting for ED. I will fully cooperate in the probe,” said Archana to the waiting media outside Capital Hospital.
Responding to media queries on who (which politician) she thinks might have trapped her, Archana said she has no idea.
“I need sufficient time to speak, at least 30 minutes. If I speak out, the entire scenario of the state will change. I have been trapped. I will give all 'exclusive' evidence and not spare anyone," said Nag.
Furthermore she said, "The call records of Sradhanjali must be examined. I wanted to hold a presser, but I was arrested before I can utter a word. I am not a terrorist."
"I have all the evidence to prove me innocent. May it be ED or any higher probing agency, I am ready to face the investigation. My social status and image have taken a heavy beating," Nag rued.
The ED, which is probing the high-profile sextortion racket, took Archana to Capital Hospital before taking her on a 7-day remand.
Notably, the District and Session Court in Bhubaneswar has remanded Archana to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for seven days.
The ED had sought a 15-day remand of Nag to dig deeper into the case. The court while allowing the investigating agency to take Nag on remand has directed it to produce her on December 13.
Swain, who was the former landlord of Archana, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate officials in connection with the case today.
Also Read | Lady blackmailer Archana’s aide Shradhanjali deposes before ED for 2nd time
As per sources, Archana, who was involved in one of the biggest sextortion scandals of the State, was staying on rent at Swain’s Jagamara residence.
Archana, her husband Jagabandhu Chand, and their accomplices, Khageswar Patra and Shraddhanjali Behera used to carry out their blackmailing racket from the premises of the house.
As per the reports, Nag used to stay on the first floor of the rented accommodation and was joined by Shraddhanjali after she moved into the same house and started staying on the ground floor. This was the first time when the duo came in contact for the first time.
Swain, who arrived at the ED office for questioning in the case today, told the media persons, “I was blackmailed by Archana. She and her associate Shradhanjali Behera had been staying in my house.”
Previously, the Archana had filed a police complaint against Swain for allegedly harassing her which was later countered by the latter and resolved amicably.
The case was filed in connection with non-payment of house rent by Archana Nag, who allegedly blackmailed the producer to use the premises without rent and threatened him with legal action by filing false cases.
(Reported by Alok Mohanty)
Shradhanjali, who was grilled for around 14 hours by the ED, reportedly told the officials the names of some influential people from whom Archana had extorted money.
She also shared modus operandi adopted by Archana to capture photographs and shoot videos of victims to trap them and extort money.
On the basis of Shradhanjali’s statement, the ED is likely to summon many people whose names have surfaced and question them to dig more into the case.
Besides, the enforcement agency is reportedly planning to bring mastermind Archana on remand. The ED may file production petition and remand petition in this regard in the court today.
On the other hand, the second phase remand of Khageswar Patra, another accused in the case, came to an end today. The ED may send the accused to judicial custody.
Sources revealed that the ED will conduct face-to-face grilling of Archana and Shradhanjali. The enforcement agency has today summoned a business who happens to be the nephew of a politician.
So far, the ED has questioned Odia film producer Akshay Parija twice in the case. While he was questioned for around 10 hours on Tuesday, the cine producer again faced 12 hours of grilling on Wednesday.
Wednesday morning, Shradhanjali Behera, an associate of Archana, reached the ED office in Bhubaneswar after receiving a summon notice by the enforcement agency. Even Odia film producer Akshay Parija who had brought allegations against Archana and Shradhanjali for allegedly framing him, also appeared before the ED for questioning for the second consecutive day.
Before entering the ED office, Parija who was mobbed by mediapersons said, "Be it Sambad, OTV or Kanak, they have all reported sensibly. But a few other (news) channels, I wouldn’t name them here, are ‘irresponsibly’ reporting baseless things. I might drag all of them to the court. I am a victim; it’s not good to spread such lies against me. I will share all details after interrogation today."
As per reports, filmmaker Parija had filed a complaint at Nayapalli police station accusing Archana of capturing his intimate photographs and demanding Rs 3 crore thereafter.
Parija's lawyer Akash Bhuiyan who has accompanied him to ED office said, "Because we have lodged the complaint, being victim or complainant, whatever information or evidence is sought from us, we will comply with that. We assume there were no financial transactions. Interrogation in connection with blackmailing, conspiracy and extortion is underway. Akshay Parija is an established figure, all of you should understand that the viral photo could be morphed, and we are going to prove that. We will take the help of law. We are also planning to file a defamation suit. We will fully cooperate with the agency."
If sources are to be believed, ED will simultaneously grill Parija, Shradhanjali and Khageswar Patra, who happens to be another associate of Archana and her husband Jagabandhu, arrested a few days back for his alleged involvement in the case.
(Reported by Alok Mohanty)
According to sources, a five-member team of the national investigating agency is questioning the honey trap queen's father at its office to elicit more information about her modus operandi.
Meanwhile, the ED is also trying to trace evidences from two seized mobile phones of her husband’s close aid Khageswar Patra with the help of cyber forensic experts.
Accused Khageswar, who is being questioned by ED for the last three days, has allegedly deleted multiple videos, photographs and other proofs from his mobile.
The investigating team has also seized the mobile phones of Archana and her husband Jagabandhu Chand for extracting evidences related to crime.
Notably, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) took over the case on Friday. The SIT has sought details of all the illegal bank transactions of the lady blackmailer. Presided over by Justice Arijit Pasayat, the SIT has called for a meeting in this regard on November 13 in New Delhi.
According to the information, Soren is likely to attend a gathering in Chhattisgarh. Soren was summoned by the ED to join the investigation by 11 a.m. Thursady at their Ranchi office.
The ED had also written a letter to the Jharkhand Police Commissioner to make appropriate security arrangements ahead of his questioning.
"There was a cheque signed by Mr Soren which was found by us during the recent raid. He also allegedly misused his position and granted a lease," the sources said.
The ED had recently filed a charge sheet before a Special Ranchi court against Pankaj Mishra, a close aide of Soren, and Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash who are also said to be close to the Jharkhand CM.
The court has already taken the cognizance of the charge sheet.
The ED said that during investigation of the case, a total of 47 searches were conducted throughout India on several dates resulting in the seizure of cash amounting to Rs 5.34 crore, freezing of bank balances amounting to Rs 13.32 crore, freezing of an inland vessel MV Infralink -III, registration No. WB 1809, five stone crushers, two Hyva trucks besides the seizure of incriminating documents along with two AK 47 Assault Rifles.
Earlier, the ED had arrested Pankaj Mishra, Bachhu Yadav and Prem Prakash. The accused are presently in judicial custody.
The ED initiated the money laundering investigation on the basis of the FIR registered by the Barharwa Police Station, Sahebganj District, Jharkhand under various sections of IPC, against Mishra and others.
Later on, several FIRs regarding illegal mining lodged under IPC, Explosive Substances Act, Arms Act have also been invoked.
Till date, the ED has identified proceeds of crime relating to illegal mining to the tune of more than Rs 1,000 crore in the case.
The PMLA investigation revealed that Mishra, who enjoys a political clout, being the representative of the Chief Minister, controls the illegal mining businesses as well as inland ferry services in Sahebganj and its adjoining areas through his accomplices.
"He exercises considerable control over the mining of stone chips and boulders as well as installation and operations of several crushers, set up across various mining sites in Sahebganj. Proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 42 crore acquired by Mishra have been identified till date," said the ED official.
Further investigation in the matter was on.
The ED made this submission while opposing the actor's bail plea in connection with a money laundering case pertaining to Rs 200 crore extortion matter involving multimillionaire conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, an official said on Saturday.
The IANS is in possession of ED documents which confirm that she had deleted data from her cell phone.
"She admitted deleting crucial evidence on her phone and further had told others to delete the evidence which amounts to tampering of evidence. She also tried to flee abroad," the ED has claimed.
The ED said that during the investigation it emerged that Jacqueline enjoyed the proceeds of crime which the main accused (Sukesh Chandrashekhar and Leena Maria Paul) obtained by the route of extortion from Aditi (wife of Shivinder Singh).
Jacqueline had knowledge of the criminal antecedents of the main accused -- Sukash and Leena.
"She not only used and enjoyed the proceeds of crime herself but also shared that with her family members staying abroad while knowing very well that the money and gifts showered by Chandrasekar were nothing but proceeds of crime not earned by him through any genuine source. An amount of Rs 7,12,24,767 had been identified till now as proceed of crime and the same was attached," the ED said.
The ED said that Jacqueline never cooperated with the investigation team, and only when confronted with evidence and statements, she had made disclosure.
Initially, Jacqueline denied that Chandrashekhar had purchased two cars for her parents but on December 12, 2021 she admitted it. She also stated that her sister had received $1,72,913 in her account.
Fernandez was granted interim bail. She has not been given regular bail. The court has extended her interim bail till the next date of hearing.
She went inside the EOW office from a back door and was accompanied by her counsels.
The EOW had earlier postponed her questioning on her request and had fixed the matter for Wednesday. Pinky Irani, an associate of Fernandez has also been summoned to join the investigation and both are likely to be grilled together.
Sources in the unit said that they have prepared a long list of questionnaire which will be asked to the actress.
"We will ask her about her relationship with Chandrashekar and the gifts, money which she received from the conman. We might confront Irani and Fernandez," the source said.
There are possibilities that the questioning can go for two or three days. The questions that will be asked to Irani and Fernandez have been prepared by the top officials of the agency to nail the lies of Chandrashekhar.
In the first week of September, the EOW officials had recorded the testimony of another Bollywood actress Nora Fatehi in the matter.
Chandrashekhar was arrested for allegedly cheating and extorting money from some high-profile people, including former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife Aditi Singh. Many Bollywood actors and models have been questioned by the Enforcement Directorate for their alleged links to Chandrashekhar.
In April last year Chandrashekhar was arrested in another money laundering case linked to the 2017 Election Commission bribery case, which allegedly involved a former AIADMK leader among others.
According to sources, the financial probe agency raided the premises associated with PayTM, Razorpay and Cashfree, all payment gateways which allegedly facilitated transactions on loan apps unauthorisedly run by Chinese-owned firms.
"During the search operation, it was noticed that the said entities were generating proceeds of crime through various merchant IDs/accounts held with payment gateways/banks. They were also not operating from the addresses given on the MCA website/registered address. An amount of Rs 17 crore has been seized in merchant IDs and bank accounts of these Chinese-owned entities," said an ED official.
The official added that it has come to the ED's notice that the said entities were doing business through various merchant IDs/accounts held with payment gateways/banks.
Meanwhile, a Razorpay spokesperson said, "Some of our merchants were being investigated by the law enforcement about a year-and-a-half back. As part of the ongoing investigation, the authorities requested additional information to help with the investigation. We have fully cooperated and shared KYC and other details. The authorities were satisfied by our due diligence process."
The case is based on 18 FIRs registered by the cyber crime police station in Bengaluru against numerous persons in connection with their involvement in extortion and harassment of the public who had availed small amount of loans through the mobile apps being run by those entities.
"During the probe, it emerged that these entities were operated by Chinese persons. The modus operandi of these entities was using forged documents of Indians and making them dummy directors of those entities," an ED official said.
The search operation is still in progress, sources said.
He will be taken to the ED office later on Sunday evening for further action, including the strong probability of arrest, on alleged grounds of 'non-cooperation' with the probe.
The MP's brother MLA Sunil Raut told a private news channel that the ED could not locate certain documents pertaining to the Patra Chawl case, leading to Sanjay Raut's detention and he would be taken to the ED offices.
The ED action came after its sleuths swooped on Raut's Bhandup residence, 'Maitri' at dawn on Sunday and carried out searches for over 9 hours.
The developments followed Raut skipping two ED summons and then seeking time till August 7 as he was tied up in Parliament-related commitments.
Hundreds of Shiv Sainiks converged outside and staged protests, raised slogans and condemned the detention of Raut.
The government had deployed tight security by the Mumbai Police and Central Reserve Police Force.
A team of ED along with a posse of police and Central security agency landed at Raut's Bhandup residence at dawn as part of the investigations into the Patra Chawl land scam case.
Raut tweeted: "Shiv Sena zindabad. Will keep fighting", even as scores of his supporters staged a sit-in protest outside his home.
The ED has in the past recorded the statements of Raut and his wife Varsha Raut.
Earlier, the ED had attached properties worth Rs 9 crore linked to Raut's aide Pravin Raut besides assets valued at around Rs 2 crore, belonging to his wife Varsha.
The stormy petrel of Shiv Sena, Raut (60), is a four-time MP and Shiv Sena's Parliamentary Party leader, faces a case that has been registered against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act vis-a-vis the Rs 1,034 crore land scam.
Sena Mumbai South MP Arvind Sawant termed the ED action as "an act of vengeance done with political motive".
He also said that both Raut and his wife had appeared before the ED and their statements have been recorded.
Congress Chief Spokespersons Atul Londhe slammed the raids and said that now all the Central agencies have become "political tools" of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to harass politicians and opponents.
Nationalist Congress Party's Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar declined to comment saying that he has not got the full details of the ED action against Raut.
BJP' Kirit Somaiya, Ram Kadam and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde Group MLAs welcomed the ED action on the Sena leader.
The Directorate of Enforcement(ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs. 3,92,20,000 belonging to Pravat Ranjan Biswal, ex MLA, Cuttack and M/s Media Guru Consultants Private Ltd under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in a ponzy scam case.
According to the anti-corruption agency, the ex-MLA made fraudulent collection of deposits from the gullible public in guise of issuance of preferential shares by enrolling the depositors as members of cooperative societies, the ED said in a press release.
These companies were neither registered as Non-Banking Finance Company (NBFC) with Reserve Bank of India (RBI) nor listed in National Stock Exchange of India (NSEI) and as such not authorised to collect such public deposits.
The attached assets include bank balance of Rs 25 Lakhs at SBI Cuttack Branch belonging to Pravat Ranjan Biswal and one immovable property belonging to M/s Media Guru Consultants Private Ltd. in NOIDA, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh.
Investigation was initiated under PMLA, 2002 on the basis of FIR and Chargesheet filed by the Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch, Odisha Police and FIR, Chargesheet filed by CBI, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code against M/s Seashore Group of Companies which were involved in the process of money laundering.
These companies generated proceeds of crime and diverted the said tainted money into acquiring different movable and immovable properties.
They fraudulently and dishonestly collected huge amount from the general public out of which Rs 25 Lakhs was diverted to the ex-MLA & his family members and Rs 4 Crore was diverted to M/s Media Guru Consultants Private Ltd to set up a News and Current Affairs TV Channel named STV SAMACHAR.
The ED has earlier attached properties worth Rs. 258 crore by issuing four PAOs which were duly confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority under PMLA and also filed Prosecution Complaint before Special Court (PMLA).
Further investigation into the matter is under progress.
On the other hand, Pravat Biswal said that the ED has only attached Rs 25 lakh bank balance belonging to him and not Rs 3.92 crore.
Laxmi Bilasini, the wife of the former MLA said she is not aware about their Rs 3.92 crore property. "I am surprised at ED's claim of Rs 3.92 crore of property. But yes, we had brought Rs 25 lakh from Prasanna Das to buy land, an issue which everyone knows," she said.
She arrived at the ED office at 11 a.m. along with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra who was keeping a medicine box with her.
After three hours of questioning, Sonia Gandhi was allowed to go on a lunch break. She again joined the probe at around 4 p.m.
The Congress chief was questioned by a team led by additional director Monika Sharma.
Priyanka Gandhi was allowed to be present at another room in case Sonia Gandhi needed any medicine.
On July 21, Sonia Gandhi had reached the ED's headquarters at around 12.10 p.m. accompanied by her son Rahul Gandhi and daughter Priyanka Gandhi. A few minutes later Rahul Gandhi had left the ED's office while Priyanka had stayed on.
Priyanka Gandhi had requested to be present at ED's headquarters during the questioning of her mother, which was accepted by the ED.
Sources said that Sonia Gandhi was asked the same set of questions which were asked to Rahul Gandhi during his five-day questioning.
Chatterjee, who has several health issues, was admitted to the ICCU of the state-run SSKM Hospital hours after the senior minister was remanded to two-day ED custody by a city court.
He was later moved to a cabin after his condition improved "a bit", an official of the hospital said.
Several tests including ECG were conducted on the TMC secretary general.
"He is stable at the moment. A team of doctors are keeping a close watch on his condition," the official said.
Cardiologist Dr Saroj Mondal is heading the team of doctors that is looking after Chatterjee, a source in the ED said.
Security personnel have been posted outside the minister's cabin.
Sources said that during the first round of questioning, Gandhi was asked about his assets and bank accounts in and outside the country.
"He was asked about his assets abroad," sources said.
According to an official, three senior officers of the financial probe agency questioned the former Congress president.
"The team consisted of two Assistant Directors and one Deputy Director," said the official.
Earlier, Gandhi reached the ED office located at Paryavaran Bhavan on APJ Abdul Kalam Road amid heavy police deployment that was put in place to restrain party workers from carrying out a rally from Congress HQ to the ED office.
On the way, Rahul was accompanied by his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, however, she left minutes after they reached the ED office.
Apart from Rahul, his mother and interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi has also been summoned in the same case. She will appear before the financial probe agency on June 23.
Meanwhile, several Congress party leaders were detained after they protested against Rahul Gandhi's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate.
The detainees included Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Harish Rawat, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, K.C. Venugopal, Deepender S. Hooda and Pawan Khera among several others.
The partymen were kept at different police stations of the city. Some were taken to Mandir Marg police station while some were held at Fatehpur Beri, Tughlaq Road Police Station etc.
Pawan Khera said the party will not cow down to the pressure of the Modi government. "We have been since morning trying to reach the ED office and we will keep trying," he said earlier.
The ED had filed the money laundering case against the Congress MP, his close aide S Bhaskararaman, and others in connection with the alleged scam, which facilitated project visas for Chinese nationals for a power project of the Vedanta group in Punjab in return for bribes, when his father P Chidambaram was the Union Home Minister during the Congress regime.
Earlier in the day, Karti appeared before the CBI at its headquarters here to record his statement in connection with the case.
On Wednesday, Bhaskararaman, Chartered Accountant of Karti, was arrested by the CBI from Chennai for allegedly helping Chinese nationals get visas by flouting the rules.
According to the FIR, a Mansa (Punjab)-based private firm, Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, took the help of a middleman and allegedly paid Rs 50 lakh to get the visa issued for Chinese nationals to complete a project before the deadline.
On Thursday, Karti after appearing before CBI in the case denied all the allegations and said that he "did not felicitate a single Chinese national" and the case was bogus.
According to CBI, "a bribe of Rs 50 lakh was allegedly demanded by the private person based at Chennai through his close associate which was paid by the Mansa-based private company.
"The payment of said bribe was routed from the Mansa-based private company to said private person of Chennai and his close associate through a Mumbai-based company as payment of false invoice raised for Consultancy and out of pocket expenses for Chinese visas related works, whereas the private company based at Mumbai was never in any kind of work relating to visas rather it was in an entirely different business of industrial knives."
The case is based on an FIR lodged by the Mumbai Police in 2021.
As of now, the ED has not summoned him. There are allegations that few overseas financial transactions are on the radar of the anti-money laundering agency.
In 2021, Kundra was accused by the Mumbai Police of allegedly running a porn racket, which spread over several countries.
It has been alleged the money thus earned were routed out of India through hawala channel. The ED has reportedly accessed all the case files relating to the case from Mumbai Police which includes a few financial transactions record too.
The probe agency will now scan Kundra's property in the country and abroad. It will also scrutinise the last three to five years transactions of his and his firms. The ED will try to figure out the financial chain through which the money were being sent and received.
It was alleged that young aspiring girls were forced to act in adult movies on various pretext. In case the girls refused, they were asked to bear the whole expenditure of the shoot and their stay.
The porn content was then uploaded on a mobile app Hotshots, which was later removed from google play store.
Hotshots was developed by Kundra's firm but later was sold to one UK-based firm Kenrin whose real owner was Pradeep Bakshi, the brother-in-law of Kundra.
There were other mobile apps on which the contents were uploaded such as Hothit movies. The subscriber had to pay to watch the porn content.
A provisional order for attaching the properties has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Pathak was earlier arrested in November 2020 on charges of amassing disproportionate assets by the Vigilance department. His son Akash Pathak was also put behind bars for misusing the ill-gotten money and masterminding a job fraud.
Following the arrest, the 1987-batch Indian Forest Service officer Pathak was suspended from his service. Later, he was given compulsory retirement on the recommendation of Odisha government.
The Enforcement Directorate had initiated investigation under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, on the basis of FIR registered by the Vigilance Cell in 2020. The case was registered under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(e) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Abhay Kant Pathak for possession of disproportionate assets.
“During the course of investigation under PMLA, it was revealed that Abhay Kant Pathak has invested his allegedly ill-gotten income, which is over and above his known sources of income, in acquiring various immovable properties and in bank investments in his name and in the name of his family members,” the ED said in a release.
ED has provisionally attached assets worth Rs. 29.83 lakh of Abhay Kant Pathak, Ex-IFS, the then Addl. Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Plan, Programme and Afforestation, P.C.C.F.,Govt of Odisha under PMLA for possessing assets disproportionate to his known source of income
— ED (@dir_ed) April 29, 2022
The federal probe agency, according to sources, is investigating the company and its executives under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
Allegations related to violation of forex laws in the Indian arm of the Chinese company over the last few years are being investigated, they said.
Jain, the former India head of Xiaomi, has been asked to furnish some financial documents linked to the company by appearing in person on Wednesday or sending it through an authorised representative.
A Xiaomi spokesperson said they were "a law abiding and responsible company."
"We give paramount importance to the laws of the land. We are fully compliant with all the regulations and are confident of the same. We are cooperating with authorities with their ongoing investigation to ensure they have all the requisite information," the spokesperson said.
Proceedings under the FEMA are civil in nature and the final penalty, post adjudication, can be at least three times the amount contravened under the law.
Xiaomi and few other Chinese mobile manufacturing companies were raided by the Income Tax Department in December last year on charges of tax evasion.
The ED initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR lodged by Bhubaneswar Police. The police had accused Pradhan of possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs 2.04 crore.
The ED learnt during the investigation that Pradhan had invested his ill-gotten income, which was over and above his known source of income, in acquiring various immovable properties and in bank investments in his name and in the name of his family members.
The proceeds of crime have now been attached.
The ED initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of the FIR registered at Vigilance Police Station, Cuttack under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, against Prusty and others.
They were accused of indulging in malpractices and acquiring huge wealths. The accused were in possession of disproportionate assets worth Rs 5.05 crore.
Investigation by ED revealed that Prusty and Sahoo had invested their ill-gotten income, which was over and above their known source of income, in acquiring various landed properties and bank investments.
"All the investments were done in their name and in the name of Debaki Prusty, mother of Prusty. After lodging the case we had also carried out search operation and seized a few incriminating documents," said the ED officials.
Further investigation in the matter is underway.
After she failed to appear before the ED on Thursday, a fresh summon has been issued in connection with the Prevention of Money Laundering case lodged against multimillionaire conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar.
Her counsel appeared before the ED to inform the agency that the actress won't be able to appear.
On Wednesday, Jacqueline was grilled by an elite team of ED officials for more than six hours.
On Wednesday Jacqueline came to MTNL building at around 11 a.m. in Central Delhi where ED has its office.
A woman official along with five others were present in the room where her statement was recorded on Wednesday.
Apart from Jacqueline, another Bollywood actress Nora Fatehi has also recorded her statement as witness recently.
Jacqueline was earlier stopped at Mumbai Airport by authorities. She was quizzed there for hours and then set free. She was then summoned by the agency.
Recently LOC (look out circular) was issued against the actress at the request of the ED. The agency had doubts that she might flee abroad and hence they had written letter to the concerned authorities.
On Sunday evening she was about to catch a flight to come to Delhi when she was stopped at Mumbai airport.
The Enforcement Directorate had on Saturday filed a charge sheet under PMLA naming few Bollywood actresses as witnesses including Jacqueline Fernandez. The court had taken cognisance of the charge sheet soon after it was filed and had asked the agency to supply the copy to all the accused.
The next date in the charge sheet matter is December 13. The ED officials were tight-lipped over the matter.
As per the ED probe, Chandrasekar has transferred 'proceeds of crime' to Jacqueline and her siblings. Several pictures of Jacqueline and Sukesh Chandrasekar have also surfaced online.
Video Editor: Surendra Pradhan
Producer: Diptyranjita Patra
The agency said an SUV, a Tata Harrier model, worth Rs 15 lakh and "incriminating documents" were seized during the searches at the residential premises of the officer, Abhay Kant Pathak.
The action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), it said.
Pathak was compulsorily retired by the Union government on the recommendation of the Odisha government following the registration of a vigilance case of disproportionate assets against him last year.
The IFoS officer of the 1987 batch was last posted as the additional principal chief conservator of forests in Odisha.
The Odisha vigilance bureau had alleged that Pathak "misused his official position and amassed ill-gotten wealth to an extent of Rs 9.35 crore".
The agency will record the statement of the 36-year-old actor under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said.
She has been grilled by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) earlier at least twice in this case during which she was also confronted with Chandrshekhar.
The agency suspects she is a "beneficiary" of the proceeds of crime allegedly generated by Chandrashekhar after coning and extorting money from some high-profile people.
Her spokesperson had earlier said she was testifying before the agency as a witness.
"Jacqueline Fernandez is being called to testify as a witness by the ED. She has duly recorded her statements and in future will also be completely cooperating with the agency in the investigations.
"Jacqueline also categorically denies alleged slanderous statements made about relationship with the involved couple," the spokesperson had said in a statement in October.
The ED, on December 5, had stopped Fernandez from flying abroad through the Mumbai airport.
The agency asked her to remain in the country as she may be required to join the probe.
The Sri Lankan-origin actor has been questioned by the ED in multiple sessions in connection with the over Rs 200 crore money laundering case being probed against Chandrashekhar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul.
The agency last week also filed a charge sheet before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court here and named Chandrashekhar, his wife and six others.
It had alleged in the charge sheet that Chandrashekhar claimed that he gifted Fernandez numerous costly gifts, including some Persian cats and a horse.
He is accused of cheating some rich people, including individuals like former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh's wife Aditi Singh.
Another Bollywood actor-dancer Nora Fatehi has also been grilled by the ED in this case.
Investigation found that Chandrashekhar while lodged in the Rohini jail here allegedly ran an extortion racket using phone spoofing technology, according to officials.
The ED had arrested the couple and two co-accused, Pradeep Ramnani and Deepak Ramnani, in this case.
In August, the agency raided some of Chandrashekhar's premises and seized a sea-facing bungalow in Chennai, Rs 82.5 lakh in cash and over a dozen luxury cars.
It had claimed in a statement that Chandrashekhar is a "known conman" and is being probed by the Delhi Police in a case of alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and extortion to the tune of about Rs 200 crore.
"Chandrasekhar is the mastermind of this fraud. He has been part of the crime world since the age of 17. He has multiple FIRs against him...," the ED had said.
Despite being in the jail, it said, Chandrashekhar "did not stop conning" people.
"He (using a cellphone procured illegally in prison) with the help of technology made spoofed calls to dupe people as the numbers displayed on the called party's phone number belonged to senior government officers.
"While speaking (from prison) to these persons, he claimed to be a government officer offering to help people for a price," the ED had claimed.
Chandrasekhar and Paul were also arrested by the Delhi Police.
The police recently invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) in the case.
The Delhi Police had alleged that Paul and Chandrashekhar, along with others, used hawala routes, created shell companies to park the money earned from proceeds of crime.
She was asked to appear before the ED team in Delhi. Earlier also, the ED on two occasions have recorded the statement of the actress.
On Sunday, Jacqueline Fernandez was stopped at the Mumbai Airport when she was about to catch a flight for Delhi. Her LOC (look out circular) was recently opened at the request of the ED. The probe agency fears that she might flee abroad. On Sunday, Jacqueline was questioned for hours at the Mumbai airport, after which she was allowed to go.
Jacqueline Fernandez has been asked to join the probe on December 8. An elite team of the probe will record her statement in Delhi.
The ED had on Saturday filed a charge sheet of 7,000 pages against Sukesh and seven others. Jacqueline is so far a witness in the case along with other Bollywood actress Nora Fatehi.
Taking cognisance of the charge sheet soon after it was filed, the court asked the probe agency to supply copies to all the accused.
The next date of hearing in the court is December 13. The ED officials are tight-lipped over the matter. They only said that after questioning, they will decide the future course of action.
Sources have suggested that after Jacqueline, Nora will once be called again to join the probe.
Earlier, Pradeep’s name cropped up with tainted IFS officer Abhay Kant Pathak and the latter’s son Akash Pathak in the money laundering case.
It is to be noted that Shruti is the fiancé of Akash Pathak, son of tainted IFS officer, Abhay Kant Pathak, who was arrested on corruption charges.
As per reports, Shruti came under the ED scanner after the department conducted investigation regarding transactions conducted from the bank accounts of the Gopalpur MLA, Abhay Pathak and Akash Pathak.
No other details regarding the transactions in Shruti’s bank account have been confirmed.