NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids on Friday at ten locations in Delhi and adjoining states probing a money laundering case against Minister Satyendar Jain. Jain is currently lodged in Tihar Jail. He was arrested on May 30 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). A decision on his bail plea has been reserved by a Delhi court.
The places raided, includes a trust linked to the case, owners of two private schools and others.
Earlier, the agency seized Rs 2.85 crore and 133 gold coins after a similar raid carried out against Jain’s family. The federal financial probing agency also provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to companies – Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd, Mangalyatan Projects Pvt Ltd, JJ Ideal Estate Pvt Ltd – beneficially owned and controlled by Jain.
“Investigations by the ED revealed that during 2015-16, when Jain was a public servant, the above-mentioned companies beneficially owned by him received accommodation entries to the tune of `4.81 crore from shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through the hawala route. These amounts were utilised for direct purchase of land, or for the repayment of loans taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi,” the probe agency said. ED initiated a money-laundering probe on the basis of an FIR registered by CBI in August 2017 against Jain, his wife Poonam Jain and other relatives.