ED attaches assets worth Rs 39.28 cr in money-laundering case

New Delhi, April 19 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Wednesday that it has attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs 39.28 crore belonging to a person named Veerendra Kumar Ram and his family members in connection with a money-laundering case.

The properties include a farmhouse, flats, duplex bunglow, land in Delhi, Jamshedpur and Ranchi, and three bank accounts having collective balance of around Rs 36 lakh.

The ED had initiated a money-laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Anti Corruption Bureau, Jamshedpur.

"The probe revealed that Veerendra Kumar Ram as the chief engineer in the Rural Works Department in Ranchi had generated proceeds of crime in the name of commission from contractors in lieu of allotment of tenders to them. The proceeds of crime thus generated were used by Veerendra Kumar Ram and his family members to live a very lavish lifestyle," said an ED official.

The official said that searches were conducted earlier at 30 premises linked to Veerendra Kumar Ram in different cities, in which various incriminating evidences were found and seized.

During the course of the search action, cash to the tune of Rs 40 lakh, seven high-end luxurious vehicles and jewelleries worth Rs 1.51 crore were seized, which were later found to be the part of the proceeds of crime acquired by the accused.

Veerendra Kumar Ram was arrested by the ED on February 23 after he was found guilty of money-laundering. He is presently lodged in Hotwar Jail in Ranchi.

Alok Ranjan, a cousin of Veerendra Kumar Ram, was also arrested on April 11 after he was found guilty of assisting Veerendra Kumar Ram in laundering the proceeds of crime.