ED attaches alleged land mafia's assets in Bihar

New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday said that it has attached immovable and movable properties worth Rs 4.04 crore belonging to a conman, his family members and others in connection with a money laundering case.The ED official said that Chandrama Prasad Singh alias Tuntun Singh and his brothers, who are land mafias, have been accused of cheating innocent people, farmers and builders and have several FIRs filed against them by the state police under murder, attempt to murder, cheating, and extortion charges.Initially, the ED had begun the money laundering investigation on the basis of two FIRs lodged at Ramkrishna Nagar and Phulwari Sharif Police Station in Bihar's Patna."Further, details of six more FIRs and chargesheets were obtained from the concerned police station. Total seven chargesheets and eight FIRs were filed on the basis of which we lodged a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), against them," said the ED official.Apart from Chandrama Prasad, the state police had also filed a case against Dablu Kumar, Bhonu Prasad, Jai Vir Kumar, Shivji Prasad and others under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 27 of the Arms Act.During the investigation, the financial probe agency learnt that the accused had invested the proceeds from extortion, in acquiring various movable and immovable properties under his wife's name, so as to project these as untainted."The proceeds of crime identified by us have been attached. We are working to identify more assets," the ED official said.Further investigation in the matter is underway.
--IANS atk/sks

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