Hyderabad, Jan 12 The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has arrested an imposter who was trying to interfere in the working of the Directorate in connection with an ongoing investigation against Heera Gold MD Nowhera Shaik and others.
The ED, Hyderabad Zonal Office, said on Monday that Kalyan Banerjee was produced before a Special PMLA Court, which remanded him to judicial custody till January 23.
The ED said that after failing to legally protect properties acquired by her out of Proceeds of Crime, Nowhera Shaik hired the services of an imposter, Kalyan Banerjee, on a monthly remuneration as well as a commission basis.
Kalyan Banerjee started messaging and calling ED officers and falsely projected himself as close to several high-ranking bureaucrats and politicians. He tried to entice the officers to manipulate the auction process, but when he was categorically told to follow due process of law, he started threatening the officers and put pressure on them to stall the auction process.
The ED found during the investigation that he was an imposter who was impersonating a consultant to various departments and was close to senior bureaucrats and politicians. He was finally traced on the basis of intelligence, and a search action under section 17 of the PMLA was conducted at his premises in Secunderabad on January 10.
He admitted to impersonation in order to put pressure on officers. He also admitted that he was acting on the directions of Nowhera Shaik and her associates.
The ED has been investigating a case against Nowhera Shaik and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on the basis of several FIRs registered by the police in various states.
Investigation by the police revealed that Nowhera Shaik and others had collected investment of more than Rs 5,978 crore from the gullible public with a promise of higher returns of more than 36 per cent a year, but failed to return even the principal amount.
The ED investigation revealed that Nowhera Shaik had utilised part of the Proceeds of Crime towards the purchase of various immovable properties in her name, in the name of her companies and her relatives.
During the investigation, properties amounting to around Rs 428 crore have been attached by ED and Prosecution Complaint as well as Supplementary Prosecution Complaint have been filed before the Special PMLA Court, Hyderabad.
On a petition by the ED, the Supreme Court gave approval for the auction of confirmed attached properties so that the proceeds of the same could be restored to the victims. Several attached properties in the case have been put up for auction through MSTC. However, Nowhera Shaik repeatedly tried to stall the auction process before the Supreme Court as well as the Telangana High Court.
To stall the last auction, which was conducted on January 5, 2026, she filed a petition before the Telangana High Court, alleging malafide in the auction process. The petition was dismissed by the Court, and an exemplary cost of Rs 5 crore was imposed on Nowhera Shaik. The court ordered that the said cost be deposited by Nowhera Shaik in the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.
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