ED freezes cash, bank balances worth Rs 45cr after searches at 14 locations

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has frozen cash, bank balance and shares worth more than Rs 45 crore after it recently carried out searches at 14 locations in Mumbai and Chennai in a money laundering case linked to alleged misappropriation of Rs 129 crore.

The ED, in a statement, said that it carried out searches at 14 locations on November 29-30 and the focus of the action was on Ramprasath Reddy, a former employee of Gateway Office Parks Private Limited (formerly Shriram Properties and Infrastructure Private Limited), which was acquired by global fund house Xander in 2017.

It said some other entities controlled by the Pukhraj Jain family (Salem Stainless Steel Suppliers Private Limited, Four Star Estates LLP, M/s High Hills LLP), and those controlled by Rajesh alias Saravanan Jeevanandam (JKS Constructions, Suyambhu Projects, SK Traders, SV Infrastructure, GR Projects and Karthik Traders) were also covered during the searches.

The ED case is based on the FIR registered by CCB, Chennai against Reddy and others. The FIR was lodged on the grounds of siphoning of Rs 129 crore, as per the complaint lodged by M/s Gateway Office Parks Private Limited, Chennai.

The ED said that its probe revealed that Reddy orchestrated the misappropriation of Rs 129 crore through his family-owned entities.

"The funds were diverted through the mentioned entities under the pretext of payments for the supply of goods and services, leveraging the issuance of counterfeit invoices," it said.

The ED said that the search operations led to the detection of undisclosed cash or Indian currency, bank balance, and shares.

“The movable properties worth totalling to more than Rs 45 crore were frozen under section 17(1A) of the PMLA, 2002," the ED said.

It said that the high-end apartments in Mumbai and Chennai, along with other properties obtained through the proceeds of crime, were identified, and pertinent documents were seized.