The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday attached assets valued at Rs 2.50 crore in Patna in relation to a disproportionate assets (DA) case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The federal investigative agency issued a provisional order under the PMLA against Vibha Kumari, a former deputy director of the higher education department.
What was the case?
The money laundering case stems from an FIR filed by the Bihar Police Economic Offence Unit (EOU), Patna against Kumari and some others. It was alleged that she amassed assets disproportionate to her known sources of income by adopting corrupt and illegal means during her service period, the ED said in a statement. "The disproportionate assets have been calculated to the tune of Rs 1.88 crore," it said.
"ED, Patna has provisionally attached immovable and movable properties worth Rs 2.50 crore (approx) under PMLA, 2002 in the disproportionate assets (DA) case of Smt. Vibha Kumari, the then Deputy Director of Higher Education, Bihar," the ED said in a post on X. "The immovable properties are registered in his name as well as in the name of family members and are located in Patna, Vaishali, Muzaffarpur and Delhi," it added.
What ED said?
Earlier in the day, ED informed it has seized Rs 2.98 crore in cash and some incriminating documents during raids conducted in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra in a money laundering case of Humara India Credit Cooperative Society. The incriminating documents include books of account, and digital devices of Humara India and other Sahara Group entities. ED's Kolkata Zonal Office conducted the search operations under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 at the premises of suspects in West Bengal's Kolkata, Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow, and Maharashtra's Mumbai.
(With inputs from agencies)
