News Analysis India

Tag: ED

  • ED finds ‘conman’ Chandrasekhar approached multiple B-town actors, met models in Tihar

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: An alleged associate of jailed ‘conman’ Sukesh Chandrasekhar “projected” him as a business tycoon so that he could get in touch with various female models and actors and she even took some of them to meet him inside the Tihar jail in 2018, the ED has said in a recently filed charge sheet.

    Pinky Irani alias Angel, 53, was arrested in this case by the agency in December last year. She was recently granted bail by a Delhi court.

    She has been accused by the Enforcement Directorate of indulging in money laundering and allegedly helping Chandrasekhar in getting in touch with actor Jacqueline Fernandez and sending her expensive gifts on his behalf.

    Fernandez has been questioned multiple times in this case. Dancer-actor Nora Fatehi has also recorded her statement with the ED in the past.

    A supplementary charge sheet, detailing the role of Mumbai-based Irani in the money laundering case against 32-year-old Chandrasekhar and others, was filed by the ED early this month before a court here.

    The agency, in this prosecution complaint, has attached replies sent to it by Bollywood actors Bhumi Pednekar, Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor, who were similarly approached by Chandrasekhar allegedly through Irani.

    Chandrasekhar and his wife Leena Maria Paul are being probed by the Delhi Police as well as the ED for allegedly cheating and extorting money from some rich people, including individuals like former Fortis Healthcare promoter Shivinder Mohan Singh’s wife Aditi Singh.

    Investigation by the agencies found that Chandrasekhar, while he was lodged in the Rohini jail here, allegedly ran an extortion racket using phone spoofing technology. He was later shifted to the Tihar jail.

    The ED is tracking the beneficiaries of this allegedly extorted money and the entire funds trail.

    So far, the agency has not called these actors or models as accused as they could be witnesses in identifying the proceeds of crime.

    In this pursuit, the agency recorded the statements of some young models whose links it got after questioning Irani.

    At least three out of the four models told the ED that they were “introduced” to Chandrasekhar by Irani and they even met him unrestricted at the Tihar jail in 2018 along with her.

    “Pinky Irani was a close confidant and advisor of Chandrasekhar. Not only did she create a facade of being a businessman for Chandrasekhar, she also allowed him to project himself as a man of means and a free man by ensuring that he could deliver what he wanted,” the ED claimed.

    According to the charge sheet, Bhumi Pednekar submitted her reply to the agency early this year stating that Irani messaged her saying she was the “vice president (of) HR News Express Post and informed her that their group chairman (Chandrasekhar) is a fan of hers and wanted to speak with her about a huge project and also wanted to gift her a car.”

    The 32-year-old actor told the agency that “she did not receive any gifts from Chandrasekhar or his associates, including Pinky Irani, nor has she ever met or had any sort of personal interaction, either social or professional, with them.”

    Sara Ali Khan told the ED that she did not know anyone by the name of Sukesh Chandrasekhar or Shekhar but someone in the name of “Mr. Suraj Reddy did WhatsApp her on 21.05.2021 saying he would like to gift her a car as a family gesture and mentioned that his CEO Mrs Irani had tried to contact her.”

    Khan, 26, said the Reddy person continued to insist on giving her gifts and she constantly refused the same. “However, after many attempts of refusing him, she did agree on receiving a box of chocolates from him and thereafter he sent a Franck Muller watch along with the chocolates,” the ED said.

    Janhvi Kapoor told the ED that while she was not approached by Chandrasekhar or Irani, she was contacted by a lady who identified herself as Leena from a company called Nail Artistry regarding being a celebrity guest at the launch of a salon in Bengaluru.

    She wrote to the agency saying she inaugurated the salon in July last year and received a branded luxury bag and a professional fee of Rs 18.94 lakh in her bank account. She sent a statement of the transaction to the ED.

    Nail Artistry is stated to be the business enterprise of Leena Maria Paul. “It was established that by projecting Sukesh Chandrasekhar as a business tycoon she (Irani) established his contacts with various models/actresses and hid his real identity and got various models/actresses in touch with Chandrasekhar.”

    She took some of them to Tihar Jail to meet Sukesh Chandrasekhar and she impersonated as Alka Kumar, P Kumar, Angel K, CFO of Jaya TV/Sun TV and CFO of News Express Post for contacting these models/actresses, the ED alleged in the charge sheet.

    The same modus operandi was used by Irani and Chandrasekhar to approach Jacqueline Fernandez through her makeup artist S Muthathil, it said.

    The ED has arrested Chandrasekhar, Paul, Irani, two other co-accused, Pradeep Ramnani and Deepak Ramnani in this case.

    In August last year, it had raided some of Chandrasekhar’s premises and seized a sea-facing bungalow in Chennai, Rs 82.5 lakh in cash and over a dozen luxury cars.

    In a statement, it had claimed that Chandrasekhar 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, Chandrasekhar “did not stop conning” people.

    “He (using a cell phone 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.

  • Sanjay Raut alleges Rs 25,000 crore job scam during Fadnavis regime, demands probe

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday alleged that the BJP-led Centre is troubling Sena leaders and their family members and friends by using central agencies.

    Briefing media persons here, Raut said, “Central agencies are troubling our party leaders. Pressure is being created on our leaders using these agencies. Some BJP leaders are saying that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will fall on March 10. All these rumours started after I wrote to Venkaiah Naidu.”

    Raut further alleged that during the previous Devendra Fadnavis government, there was the Rs 25,000 crore job recruitment scam that has to be probed. 

    Raut also called BJP leader Kirit Somaiya an “agent of the ED. “Kirit Somaiya is the mastermind in PMC bank scam. Somaiya and his son should be arrested in connection with the case. To whom does Nikon Infra Construction company belong? PMC case accused Rakesh Wadhwan and Somaiya’s son are partners in this company,” alleged Raut.

    The Sena leader further said CM Uddhav Thackeray should initiate a probe into the case by the Economic Offense Wing (EOW). 

    Somaiya goes to the ED office in Mumbai and eats Kichadi and conspires against the Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders, Raut said.

    ALSO READ | Some BJP leaders will be behind bars in next few days, claims Sanjay Raut

    Raut attacked BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar too alleging that in his daughter’s wedding, a Rs 9 crore carpet was used. “Why is ED not probing it?” he asked.

    “I called Union Home Minister Amit Shah and told him that he can target me, but not my family. If they want to fight with us, they can do that but our families should not be involved,” Raut said, adding that he is Balasaheb Thackeray’s Sainik and not afraid of ED and other central agencies.

    Raut also alleged that some ED officers through their agents collected Rs 200 crore from the developers in Mumbai. “I have all the proof and soon, will put them before the people. The ED officers are forcing people to give statements against me. The central agencies should work in a fair manner, and not as puppets in the hand of the BJP leaders,” Raut said.

    Raut alleged BJP leader Mohit Kamboj calling him a front-man and blue-eyed boy of former chief minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnvis. “Mohit Kamboj bought the Rs 1200 crore-worth land at Patra Chawl project by paying only Rs 100 crore. The EOW should carry out the inquiry in these transactions.”

    Meanwhile, BJP leader Prasad Lad refuted all the charges made by Sanjay Raut saying that he has lost his mental balance. Lad’s party colleague Mohit Kamboj said that he would file a defamation suit against Raut. Sudhir Mungantiwar also refuted allegations of his daughter’s wedding expenses. “Everything is in public. I have paid the tax and even Uddhav Thackeray had attended my daughter’s wedding ceremony,” Mungantiwar said.

  • ED crackdown on owners of Cashbean loan app continues, Rs 300 crore attached

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized an additional amount of Rs 51.22 crore lying in the bank accounts and virtual accounts with payment gateways of fintech company PC Financial Services Private Limited (NBFC). The enforcement agency has already attached Rs 238 crore from the Gurgaon-based PC Financial Services, which provides instant personal microloans through its mobile application ‘Cashbean’.

    ED has alleged that the PCFS is controlled by a Chinese national through a maze of shell companies. It has also accused the firm of money laundering and violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

    According to the enforcement agency, PCFS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oplay Digital Services, SA de CV, Mexico, which is, in turn, is owned by TenspotPesa Limited of Hong Kong.  TenspotPesa, on the other hand, is owned by Opera Limited (Cayman Islands) and Wisdom Connection I Holding Inc (Cayman Islands), which are ultimately beneficially owned by Chinese national Zhou Yahui. The original Indian Company PCFS was incorporated in 1995 by Indian nationals and got NBFC license in 2002 and after RBI approval in 2018, the ownership moved to the Chinese controlled company.

    ED’s investigations reveal that the fintech company provides micro loans through its mobile app for suspicious foreign outward remittances.

    Investigations have found that the foreign parent companies of PCFS brought in Rs 173 Crore worth of FDI for lending business and within a short span of time, made foreign outward remittances worth Rs 429 crore in the name of payments for software services received from related foreign companies.

    The fintech company also showed high domestic and foreign expenditures.  A detailed investigation into the foreign expenses paid by the NBFC revealed that most of the payments were made to foreign companies, which are related and owned by the same Chinese nationals.

    ED has also found that exorbitant payments were allowed by the dummy Indian Directors of PCFS without any due diligence on the instructions of the Country Head Zhang Hong, who directly reported to one Zhou Yahui in China.

    PCFS remitted forex worth Rs 429 Crore to 13 foreign companies located in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, USA and Singapore in the guise of payments for the License fee for Cash Bean Mobile APP (Rs 245 Crore per annum), Software technical fee (of around Rs 110 Crore), online marketing & advertisement fee (of around Rs 66 Crore).

    According to the Enforcement Directorate, all these services and applications are available in India at a fraction of the cost incurred by PCFS.

    The agency further says that though all the clientele of the NBFC was in India, huge payments were made abroad without any proof of receipt of service. Simultaneously, during the same period of time, PCFS also booked domestic expenditure of a similar amount (of Rs 941 crore) under the same heads of expenditure.

    PCFS management failed to give any justification for these expenses and admitted that all remittances were done to move money out of India and to park it abroad in the accounts of Group Companies controlled by the Chinese promoter.

  • ED conducts raids against Supertech group in Delhi-NCR

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted raids at multiple premises of real estate group Supertech in connection with a money-laundering investigation, officials said.

    They said at least nine premises of the builder group and its promoters were being searched by the agency in the National Capital Region.

    The Supreme Court had on August 31 ordered the demolition of the Noida located twin towers of the Supertech Group, which had come up in violation of building bylaws. It had set a three-month timeline for the demolition, which ends on November 30.

    The case pertains to the realty firm constructing two 40-storey towers illegally in its Emerald Court housing project premises with over 900 flats and 21 shops in the towers.

    Residents of the housing project claimed that their consent was not taken for the twin towers, which were being built in violation of norms, and moved court.

    The Allahabad High Court had in 2014 ordered the demolition of the twin towers with the Supreme Court upholding the verdict in 2021.

  • Stormy winter session ahead? Congress seeks Opposition unity against twin ordinances on CBI, ED directors

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  The opposition parties Monday slammed the central government over the two ordinances to extend the tenure of CBI and ED directors up to five years.

    While Congress called for moving the Supreme Court to challenge the twin ordinances, the TMC has moved notices for statutory resolutions in the Rajya Sabha to raise objections.

    “This ordinance is a message to the officers that if we (Centre) have appointed you, and if you keep working as per our orders, and keep harassing the Opposition, your tenure will be increased year after year. All parties should jointly approach the Supreme Court on this,” said Congress leader Manish Tewari.

    The TMC has moved notices for statutory resolutions in the Rajya Sabha objecting to the ordinances by the government to extend the tenure of CBI and ED chiefs.

    “Two brazen ordinances extend ED and CBI directors’ terms from two to five years. Parliament’s winter session begins two weeks from now. Be rest assured, opposition parties will do all it takes to stop India from turning into an elected autocracy,” tweeted TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien.

    The government Sunday decided to amend the Delhi Police Special Establishment Act and the CVC Act to ensure the two directors’ tenure extends beyond the current fixed term of two years.

    Other opposition parties are also expected to move similar notices ahead of the winter session of Parliament starting Nov 29. CPI MP Binoy Viswam said his party will also move a disapproval motion against the ordinances.

    “On a polluted Sunday, the government has embarked on an ordinance route to protect their caged parrots. Disapproval motion will be moved against this ordinance raj. Distorting Constitution, Modi is in a hurry to make India a banana republic,” Viswam tweeted.

    Trinamool MP Derek O’ Brien said the opposition parties will do all it takes to stop India from “turning into an elected autocracy”.

    The Left parties demanded that the ordinances be rescinded immediately.

    “The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) denounces the promulgation of two ordinances allowing the central government to extend the tenures of the directors of CBI and ED from two to five years.”

    “It is reprehensible that these ordinances have been promulgated on the eve of the winter session of parliament that is to commence from November 29. The BJP’s regular resort to the route of “ordinance raj” is anti-democratic,” the CPIM said on Monday.

    The party further alleged that both the CBI and ED have been “functioning as the political arm of the ruling party to advance its agenda.”

    “Leaders of opposition parties are regularly targeted. This step is meant to further subvert the autonomy of these agencies and to make the key officers more pliable.”

    “The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) demands that these ordinances be rescinded. CPI(M) MPs will oppose the move to convert these ordinances into law in parliament,” it said in a statement.

    The CPI too said that it was contemplating moving statutory resolutions against the ordinances.

    Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi alleged the government was sidestepping Parliament and violating the Supreme Court’s orders only to “misuse” the investigative agencies and reduce them to the “servility of political masters”.

    “The BJP is consistently and intentionally engaged in undermining and sabotaging the institutions and creating security for themselves and the establishment instead of security for the nation.

    The ordinances are another example in that direction,” he told reporters.

    He alleged that these ordinances take these institutions from discipline and upholding the rule of law “to dutifulness to their political masters and to the discretion in choosing how to deal with equals unequally and from objectivity to subjectivity”.

    “The attempt is to substitute, servility and subordination to political masters in place of independence, he alleged.

    “The constitutional values are as important as the constitutional letter and spirit. It seriously undermines the institutions – the Parliament and the Supreme Court,” he claimed.

    He expressed apprehension that the officers will be given an extension “only if they behaved or heard their master’s voice”.

    “This is the very opposite of security of tenure and independence. It is turning the concept of independence of such agencies on its head,” he said.

    The Congress leader said the ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) stands exposed not as an alliance of political parties “but as an alliance of the ED, the CBI and the Income Tax department”.

    “It is not a political alliance. It shows the CBI amidst its many-many glittering acronyms as a ‘Credibility Bereft Institution’,” he alleged.

    He said all who care for the future of India should not take this lying down.

    Introducing these ordinances just two weeks ahead of the Parliament session is an attempt at sabotaging, sidestepping, skirting the institution of Parliament, he said.

    “What is the public interest in doing so. There is only self-interest, BJP-interest and the government’s interest,” he alleged.

    The Congress leader also asked if the Modi government is so certain of the public interest, then surely it will have no objection if these are scrutinised by a Standing Committee of Parliament.

    The Winter session of Parliament starts from November 29.

    The tenure of the Directors of the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate can now be extended by up to three years after the mandated term of two years, according to two ordinances brought in by the government on Sunday.

    In both cases, an extension of one year can be given for three years.

    The Centre’s move, which drew sharp criticism from the Opposition, comes close on the heels of the Supreme Court saying that extension of tenure of officers who have attained the age of superannuation should only be granted in rare and exceptional cases and for a short duration.

    The apex court stated this in a matter related to the extension granted in 2020 to Enforcement Directorate chief S K Mishra, a 1984-batch IRS officer who is due to retire on November 17.

    Slamming the Congress, Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said those who hurl accusations should have at least some positivity.

    “Isi tarah ke aaropon ke mantar ne Congress ko choomantar kar diya hai (Due to its mantra of making such accusations, Congress is disappearing),” the Minority Affairs Minister told reporters at an event here when asked about the Congress’ attack.

    “Those who do such negative and destructive politics only harm themselves,” he said.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • New ordinances will take CBI, ED from discipline to dutifulness to political masters: Congress

    The Congress leader said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) stands exposed not as an alliance of political parties 'but as an alliance of the ED, the CBI and the Income Tax department.'

  • ED arrests former Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in money laundering case

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested former Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in connection with a money laundering case being probed against him and others, officials said.

    They said Khaira, 56, was taken into custody by the central probe agency in Punjab under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

    The agency had raided his premises in March this year.

    The ED has alleged that Khaira is an “associate” of drug case convicts and fake passport racketeers.

    The politician has denied any wrongdoing and said he is being targeted by central agencies as he has been vocal against the Centre’s three new farm laws.

    He had recently resigned from the state assembly.

    Khaira won the assembly election in 2017 from the Bholath Assembly seat in Punjab’s Kapurthala district on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket.

    He resigned from the primary membership of the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP in January 2019 and floated his own outfit, the Punjab Ekta Party.

    He then re-joined the Congress.

  • Ex-Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh sent to 14-day judicial custody in money laundering case

    By Online Desk

    A Mumbai court on Saturday sent former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, arrested in a money laundering case, to 14-day judicial custody.

    Earlier in the day, a medical examination of Deshmukh was conducted at a state-run hospital in Mumbai before he was taken to a special court in the afternoon as his Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody ended, an official said.

    Deshmukh (71) was arrested by the ED late Monday night after 12 hours of questioning.

    A Mumbai court had on Tuesday remanded Deshmukh in ED’s custody till November 6 in connection with a multi-crore money laundering case.

    “As Deshmukh’s ED custody ended on Saturday, he was taken out of the central agency’s office here around 12.20 pm. Before being produced in the special PMLA court, he was taken to the state-run J J Hospital for his routine medical checkup in the morning,” the official said.

    The ED case against Deshmukh and others was made out after the CBI booked him in a corruption case related to allegations of at least Rs 100 crore bribery made by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh. 

    Singh had alleged that Deshmukh was involved in several wrongdoings, including asking the sacked police officer Sachin Waze to collect Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

    The ED had on Thursday summoned Deshmukh’s son Hrishikesh Deshmukh for questioning in connection with the money laundering case. He was quizzed on Friday.

  • Ex-Maharashtra Minister Anil Deshmukh remanded to ED custody till November 6 in money laundering case

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A Mumbai court on Tuesday remanded former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till November 6.

    Deshmukh, arrested by ED late Monday night after over 12 hours of questioning in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged extortion racket in the state police establishment, was produced for remand before additional sessions judge P B Jadhav, who presided over the special holiday court.

    Before producing him in court, the prosecuting agency took the NCP leader to the state-run J J Hospital here for a regular medical checkup.

    The ED had initiated a probe against Deshmukh and his associates after the CBI filed its FIR against the NCP leader on April 21 this year on charges of corruption and misuse of official position.

    The ED’s case is that Deshmukh, while serving as the state’s home minister, misused his official position and through dismissed cop Sachin Waze collected Rs 4.70 crore from various bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

    The ED has also arrested two other persons in the case – Sanjeev Palande (additional collector rank official who was working as Deshmukh’s private secretary) and Kundan Shinde (Deshmukh’s personal assistant).

  • Money laundering case: Ex-Maharashtra Minister Anil Deshmukh produced in court by ED for remand

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh was on Tuesday produced before a special court here by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) following his arrest in a money laundering case.

    Deshmukh was produced for remand before additional sessions judge P B Jadhav, who is presiding over the special holiday court, a little after noon.

    The ED is likely to seek his custody for further questioning.

    Deshmukh was arrested by the ED late Monday night after over 12 hours of questioning in the money laundering case linked to an alleged extortion racket in the state police establishment.

    Before producing him in court, the prosecuting agency had taken the NCP leader to the state-run J J Hospital here for a regular medical checkup.

    The ED had initiated a probe against Deshmukh and his associates after the CBI filed its FIR against the NCP leader on April 21 this year on charges of corruption and misuse of official position.

    The ED’s case is that Deshmukh, while serving as the state’s home minister, misused his official position and through dismissed cop Sachin Waze collected Rs 4.70 crore from various bars and restaurants in Mumbai.

    The money was allegedly laundered to Nagpur-based Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha, an education trust controlled by Deshmukh’s family.

    Deshmukh had refuted these allegations earlier and said the agency’s whole case was based on malicious statements made by a tainted cop (Waze).

    The ED has so far arrested two persons in the case – Sanjeev Palande (additional collector rank official who was working as Deshmukh’s private secretary) and Kundan Shinde (Deshmukh’s personal assistant).

    The agency last month submitted its prosecution complaint (equivalent to a charge sheet) against the duo before a special court.