The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached assets worth ₹2.17 crore under two separate money laundering investigations in Tripura. According to the agency, the cases involve alleged investment fraud, impersonation of government officials and an illegal IPL betting syndicate. The investigations are continuing under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and the allegations remain subject to judicial scrutiny.
Tripura Money Laundering Probe Widens as ED Targets Rs 2.17 Crore in Alleged Fraud and IPL Betting Case
The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 2.17 crore under two separate money laundering cases in Tripura involving an alleged investment scam and an illegal cricket betting syndicate.
The Tripura money laundering cases are linked to alleged financial crimes involving impersonation of government officials, fraudulent investment schemes and an illegal IPL betting network, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) said. The agency’s Agartala office initiated proceedings for attachment of properties under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The ED said it had attached assets through two provisional attachment orders issued on July 31 covering bank balances, land parcels, residential properties and other moveable assets. The attached properties were allegedly linked to the proceeds of crime generated through illegal activities, the agency said.
The ED said the first investigation pertains to a case of alleged investment fraud involving Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, suspended IAS officer Abhishek Chandra and a private housing company. Also, bank balances of Rs 1.12 crore have been attached by the agency under PMLA.
ED probe into alleged government impersonation and investment fraud
The ED’s Agartala Sub Zonal Office initiated the investigation based on several FIRs filed by police authorities in West Bengal and Tripura. The cases were for cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust and impersonation under the relevant criminal laws.
The agency said Utpal Kumar Chowdhury had posed as a senior official in the Union Home Ministry using fake identity documents. It was said he created entities with names similar to those of government departments and public sector organisations.
The ED had mentioned “Directorate of Higher Education, Tripura” and “M/s Bridge & Roof Co.” among the entities. The agency has also alleged Chowdhury took over a registered trust called Chaltakhali Swamiji Seva Sangha.
The ED said money was collected from investors and businessmen, allegedly on the pretext of providing funds by promising government tenders, mid-day meal supply contracts, and profits from rubber trading activities.
The funds were allegedly funneled through multiple shell companies before being withdrawn in cash or used to purchase properties, vehicles and other assets, the agency said. The ED has alleged that some of the assets have been held in the names of accused persons and their family members.
The agency claimed that the suspended IAS officer Abhishek Chandra received proceeds of crime directly through personal bank accounts and indirectly through payments made by scheme-linked entities to a private housing company for booking a flat.
With the latest attachment, the total value of assets attached in this investigation through two provisional attachment orders has reached the tune of Rs 1.63 crore, the ED said.
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Tripura IPL betting syndicate case expands with fresh asset attachment
The second Tripura money-laundering case pertains to an alleged IPL and cricket-betting syndicate. The ED had also attached movable and immovable properties worth around Rs 1.05 crore through another provisional attachment order dated July 31.
The attached assets include nine immovable properties and bank balances of the accused, Laxman Paul and his wife Jhuma Dey Paul. The investigation was initiated based on an FIR registered at Amtali Police Station against Prasenjit Paul and Laxman Paul.
Based on a police search at the residence of Prasenjit Paul on May 11, 2023, the FIR was registered under the Indian Penal Code and the Tripura Gambling Act, 1926.
During the search, Tripura Police allegedly seized Rs 93 lakh in cash, a laptop, mobile phones, four debit cards and 17 notebooks containing alleged records of betting transactions.
The ED had accused Prasenjit Paul along with his maternal uncle Laxman Paul and others of running an organised betting network linked to IPL and other cricket matches. The agency also alleged that Laxman Paul and Jhuma Dey Paul had assets without any disclosed legitimate source of income.
The attached properties include agriculture and residential land parcels in West Tripura, a property in Kolkata and bank balances. Total assets attached in the betting case, including an earlier attachment order issued on March 16, have touched around Rs 2.43 crore.
Further investigation continues in Tripura financial crime cases
Investigations in both the cases are going on, the ED said. The agency’s findings stem from its ongoing money laundering probes and allegations made during those probes.
The cases brought to light the ED’s ongoing focus on tracing alleged proceeds of crime and attaching assets under the PMLA framework as investigations progress, Sprouts News reported.
As the probes continue, authorities are expected to examine more financial transactions, ownership records and potential links to other individuals or entities. No conclusions have been reached as to criminal liability, unless determined in due legal proceedings.
