Enforcement Directorate Freezes ₹70 Lakh of Odisha NGO After Raids
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Bhubaneswar, Dec 20 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) from the Bhubaneswar Zonal Office has placed a freeze on deposits amounting to ₹70 lakh associated with the Odisha-based NGO Bharat Integrated Social Welfare Agency (BISWA) as part of an investigation linked to a case registered under multiple provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), stated an official on Friday.
In their statement, the ED also disclosed the seizure of shares valued at ₹10 lakh discovered during the search operations.
On December 18, ED officials executed searches related to an ongoing inquiry at four locations connected to the NGO, which spanned across Odisha and Delhi.
"The ED's investigation was launched based on FIRs filed by the EOW of Odisha Police and the CBI. The inquiry revealed that BISWA was managed by Khirod Chandra Mallick, who, while ostensibly funding self-help groups (SHGs) and joint liability firms (JLFs), misappropriated funds and began accepting deposits from the public, which violates RBI regulations," the ED stated.
During the investigation, the ED also uncovered that the BISWA group was implicated in a bank loan fraud exceeding ₹200 crore.
The officials recovered 505 benami accounts and related materials throughout their raids at various sites associated with the NGO.
"Throughout the search, we uncovered suspected 505 benami accounts belonging to individuals and self-help groups (SHGs), along with their signed and unsigned checkbooks. Consequently, an amount exceeding ₹72 lakh in these 505 different bank accounts has been frozen, along with shares valued at ₹10 lakh and numerous incriminating documents including sale deeds, checkbooks, and digital devices," the ED's statement elaborated.
It is significant to note that Khirod Chandra Mallick is the sibling of senior leader from the Biju Janata Dal, Pramila Mallick.
