Lucknow: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached properties in the form of bank balance, fixed deposits and agricultural land worth Rs 2.03 crore in Uttar Pradesh’s Barabanki belonging to Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer Niharika Singh.
The attachment proceedings were initiated under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the Anee Bullion Industries fraud case, confirmed Lucknow ED unit officials.
Niharika Singh is a 2006 batch IFS officer and was last posted in Tokyo.
ED officials said the IFS officer’s husband, Ajit Kumar Gupta, is the alleged mastermind of the around Rs 600 crore Anne Bullion Industries fraud case.
The ED investigation revealed that M/s Anee Bullion Industries Pvt Ltd of Ajit Kumar Gupta & others have fraudulently collected money from public in the guise of Daily Deposit Scheme, Monthly Recurring Scheme, Fixed Scheme, etc., by offering high returns varying from 20 per cent to 40 per cent.
Investors’ money, thus collected, was layered, and rotated through the platform of various companies of ‘Anee Group’ and was used for purchase of various immovable properties in the name of Ajit Gupta and others, the ED officials added.
On October 16, the IFS officer appeared before the ED Lucknow unit after multiple summons issued to her and was questioned for several hours in the matter.
The officials said the ED initiated investigation in 2019 case based on various FIRs and complaints registered by the UP Police against Ajit Kumar Gupta and various other persons/entities for cheating the public of Rs 110 crore by luring them to invest in various fraudulent schemes with the intention to defraud them of their investments.
Earlier, the ED had attached 20 immovable properties in the form of land/buildings of Anee group of companies situated at Lucknow, Amethi and Delhi, together valued at Rs 7.07 crore.
This is the 2nd provisional attachment order in this case and the total value of attached properties stands at Rs 9.10 crore. Further investigation is under progress.
–IANS