The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it has attached immovable assets worth over Rs 5 crore as part of its money laundering investigation against former Assam excise secretary and IAS officer Indreswar Kalita in connection with a disproportionate assets case.
The case is based on an FIR registered by the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell (CMSVC) against Kalita.
According to the ED, a chargesheet filed by the vigilance agency alleged that during the check period from March 1, 2000, to December 31, 2018, the former bureaucrat possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income amounting to Rs 5.64 crore. The agency claimed that this was 131.12 per cent higher than his known income during the period.
As part of its probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED issued a provisional attachment order for six immovable properties linked to the case. Among the properties attached is one located on Zoo Road in Guwahati, which has been valued at about Rs 5.64 crore.
The ED alleged that Kalita acquired several immovable properties either in his own name or in the name of his wife and other family members without corresponding legitimate sources of income. Investigators further claimed that the transactions were structured to conceal the true ownership and origin of the funds used to purchase the properties.
According to the central agency, the properties were registered at undervalued consideration amounts in sale deeds to hide the actual cash used for their purchase and to obscure beneficial ownership.