ED attaches assets worth Rs 2.85 crore belonging to ex-UPPCL MD

New Delhi, Jan 11 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate Saturday said it has attached assets worth Rs 2.85 crore as part of an alleged disproportionate assets linked money laundering case probe against a former MD of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. (UPPCL).

A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against the officer, Ayodhya Prasad Mishra. A residential flat and a shop in Lucknow and a piece of agricultural land in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh have been provisionally attached, the federal agency said in a statement.

The properties are worth Rs 2.85 crore and are in the name of Mishra, a former MD of UPPCL, and his family members, it said.

The money laundering case stems from an FIR of the UP Vigilance department which alleged that Mishra "earned a total income of Rs 1.92 crore from legitimate sources in the prescribed period, against which Rs 5.08 crore was spent on creation of assets." The ED alleged, "Thus, in relation to the income, Rs 3.15 crore was spent in excess by him, which has been found to be 163.23 per cent more than his legitimate income during the period." Mishra could not be contacted for a comment.

The agency claimed Mishra used the bank accounts of his family members to channel and integrate "illicit" funds acquired by him into the acquisition of various immovable properties.

The "proceeds of crime" were parked for acquisition of agricultural, commercial and residential properties (in Lucknow and Gonda) in his and his family members' names, it said. PTI NES VN VN

Source: PTI