ED Attaches Assets Worth Rs. 4.68 Crore Linked to Corrupt Bhopal Jail DIG & Family Under PMLAED Attaches Assets Worth Rs. 4.68 Crore Linked to Corrupt Bhopal Jail DIG & Family Under PMLA
(Judicial Quest News Network)
In a major breakthrough, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Bhopal, has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth a staggering Rs. 4.68 Crore belonging to the late Umesh Kumar Gandhi, the former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Bhopal Jail, and his family members and associates. This action was taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with a high-profile corruption case involving the accumulation of disproportionate assets.
The investigation was launched following an FIR filed by the Special Police Establishment (SPE) of the Lokayukta, Bhopal, which charged Gandhi with amassing illicit wealth through corrupt means. The FIR accused Gandhi of accumulating assets far beyond his known sources of income, leading to a probe under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
In the course of the investigation, the Special Police Establishment (SPE) filed two charge sheets—one in the Special Court under the Prevention of Corruption Act and another in the Court of the 1st Additional District and Sessions Judge, Bhopal—against Gandhi, his wife Archana Gandhi, and his associate Ajay Kumar Gandhi, a former jail guard at the Sehore District Jail. The charge sheets revealed that they had amassed disproportionate assets totalling Rs. 5.13 Crore.
During the ED’s investigation under PMLA, it was found that the late Gandhi and his associates had accumulated a significant portfolio of movable and immovable properties, both in their own names and in the names of family members. The ED traced a range of properties spread across several districts of Madhya Pradesh, including Sagar, Katni, Sehore, Bhopal, and Indore. The assets included 20 immovable properties and various movable assets such as bank balances, jewellery, insurance policies, mutual funds, and Kisan Vikas Patras.
These properties, which were acquired using the proceeds of crime, have now been provisionally attached by the ED as part of its ongoing efforts to recover assets gained through illegal means. The investigation continues, with further developments expected in the case.
