Guwahati, Sep 23 The Guwahati Zonal Office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Tuesday, attached properties valued at Rs 94.22 lakh in connection with a high-profile land fraud case involving the All India Services Officers Co-operative Group Housing Society in Assam.
The central agency has said that it had provisionally attached eight immovable properties belonging to Rajendra Nath under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The action follows ongoing investigations into alleged misappropriation of funds meant for a housing project for IAS, IPS and IFS officers.
The ED has also filed a prosecution complaint against two accused, Sautik Goswami and Rajendra Nath, though cognisance of the complaint is yet to be taken by the court.
The case originated from an FIR registered at Basistha Police Station in Guwahati against Goswami, Nath and others.
According to the FIR, the Officers Society had paid an advance of Rs 3.60 crore to Goswami for the acquisition of 86 bighas of land intended for developing a residential colony.
However, the land was never handed over, and only Rs 50 lakh was refunded to the cooperative housing society.
The remaining Rs 3.10 crore was allegedly misappropriated, which the ED has identified as "proceeds of crime".
Investigators said that Goswami had entered into a private arrangement with Nath for procuring land for the cooperative housing society.
The probe revealed that substantial cash payments were made to Nath, corroborated by seized money receipts and statements recorded under PMLA.
The ED added that following the fraud, Nath purchased several properties between 2016 and 2023 that could not be explained as proceeds of any legitimate income.
The attached assets include plots of land in Kukurmara, Jogipara, Barhanti Maniari, Bangara, Kawaimari and Rampur villages in Assam.
"Further investigation into the matter is under progress," the agency said.
The case has drawn attention as it involves a cooperative housing society formed by senior civil servants, including members of the IAS, IPS and IFS, highlighting the scale of the alleged conspiracy and misuse of public trust.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor