CHANDIGARH: The Enforcement Directorate today seized Rs 2.19 crore, including Rs 69.35 lakh in new notes from a cloth merchant here on Wednesday.
“A team lead by the deputy director Gurnam Singh raided a cloth merchant Vishvamitra Mahajan, the owner of Mahajan Cloth House in Sector 30 and seized Rs 1.50 crore in Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes of demonetised currency. Also, Rs 69, 35, 500 in new currency were seized from his house in Sector 22 in new currency,” deputy superintendent of police (Central) of Chandigarh Police, Ram Gopal said.
“Following the seizure, a case was registered against Inderpal Mahajan, son of Vishvamitra Mahajan under criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent, cheating and conspiracy of IPC and section 7 and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act in Sector 17 police station and he has been arrested The raid was carried out at his house based on a tip-off received by an ED sleuth,’’ said Gopal.
A case has been registered against unidentified bank officials, he said. “We are investigating the role of the senior bank officials who had provided the accused with new currency notes,’’ he said.
However, according to the official of the ED, only Rs 18 lakh in new currency was recovered by the trader. The action against him will be taken under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). The currency was seized by the ED officials for further verification, added the official.
ED has been carrying out searches as part of its operation to check hawala trade in the city in wake of demonetisation.
“Since we have registered the criminal case now the ED officials are going to investigate all the possible angles including money laundering,” said Ram Gopal.