BHUBANESWAR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth over Rs 1.05 crore of Bedabyas Barik and his wife Sarmila Panda under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with a cheating case.
ED launched an investigation into the matter after the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against Bedabyas, former head cashier at Bank of Maharashtra branch in Cuttack, under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Corruption Act.
Bedabyas was accused of cheating Delhi resident Sukanti Barick to the tune of Rs 4.78 crore (including interest) on the promise of depositing her money in various investment schemes of Bank of Maharashtra.
The attached assets include funds in eight bank accounts, four plots in Cuttack and a flat in Bhubaneswar. During investigation, ED officers ascertained that Bedabyas cheated the complainant between 2008 and 2012 on the promise of depositing her money in recurring and fixed deposit schemes of the bank.
Bedabyas provided fake recurring and fixed deposit receipts to Sukanti after collecting the money from her. In an attempt to conceal the proceeds of the crime, he used the amount to acquire various assets, said ED sources. The assets acquired by the accused by illegal means were identified by the officers and attached under Section 5(1) of PMLA, they added. Bedabyas was dismissed from service after his involvement in the fraud was established.