ED Returns Rs 1.69 Crore in Properties to SBI in Himachal Case
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Shimla, March 11 (NationPress) In a pivotal action aimed at returning the proceeds of crime to their legitimate owners, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) based in Shimla has successfully returned immovable assets worth Rs 1.69 crore to the State Bank of India, the affected financial institution, in connection with the bank fraud case involving M/s Arvind Casting Pvt. Ltd.
Previously, the ED had also restored immovable assets valued at Rs 1.44 crore to the Bank of India in this ongoing matter. In a statement released on Wednesday, the ED disclosed that its investigation commenced following an FIR lodged at the Police Station in Haroli, located in the Una district.
Legal actions were initiated against Arvind Casting Pvt. Ltd. and others under various provisions of the IPC, 1860, concerning allegations of fraudulently acquiring loans using forged documents and failing to repay those loans.
The ED's investigation uncovered that Arvind Casting Pvt Ltd and associated parties secured credit facilities in 2014 through deceitful practices, relying on counterfeit documentation, and misallocated the funds to related entities rather than using them for their intended purposes, resulting in significant financial losses to the lending institutions.
Earlier, the ED provisionally attached properties totaling Rs 3.51 crore, and these provisional orders have been validated by the Adjudicating Authority of the PMLA.
Additionally, the ED submitted a prosecution complaint to the Special Judge in Dharamsala on June 15, 2020, which the court acknowledged on March 1, 2021.
In line with the objectives of the PMLA to recover the proceeds of crime for the rightful claimants and victims of money laundering, the ED requested a no-objection from the Special Judge of Dharamsala for the return of the confiscated immovable properties to the State Bank of India.
Following the ED's request, the Special Judge issued a favorable ruling on February 26, 2026, for the restitution of the attached immovable properties, valued at Rs 1.69 crore, to the State Bank of India.
As a result, the cumulative value of immovable properties returned to the victim banks in this case now stands at Rs 3.13 crore.