New Delhi, Dec 20 (NationPress) The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) from the Guwahati Zonal Office has apprehended Priyanshu Boiragi, who is the owner of M/s Purbashree Printing House located in Guwahati, in relation to a money laundering investigation concerning the alleged misappropriation of funds designated for labour welfare, as reported by the agency on Saturday.

This arrest was executed following search operations on December 18, 2025, in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Boiragi was subsequently presented before the Special Court (PMLA) in Guwahati, where the ED was granted a five-day custody for further questioning.

The case originated from an FIR lodged by the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell in Assam, citing multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, which are classified as scheduled offenses under the PMLA.

The ED claims that Boiragi allegedly conspired with Chohan Doley, an IAS officer and former Member Secretary of the Assam Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (ABOCWWB), along with Gautam Baruwa, the former Chairman of the Board, and other officials.

This conspiracy was purportedly aimed at fraudulently diverting government funds collected as Labour Welfare Cess, a mandated levy typically amounting to one percent of construction costs, specifically allocated for the welfare of registered construction workers.

The funds from the Labour Welfare Cess are meant to provide essential social security benefits, including assistance for accidents, death, medical care, maternity leave, pensions, educational support for workers’ children, and funeral aid, given the perilous nature of construction work.

The ED alleges that funds intended for the most vulnerable segments of society were diverted and laundered through deceptive practices.

During the fiscal years 2013-14, 2014-15, and 2015-16, Boiragi reportedly secured printing contracts worth Rs 121.05 crore via manipulated, fraudulent, and forged tendering processes.

Out of this amount, Rs 118.55 crore was allegedly received by his company from the ABOCWWB.

Investigators assert that a significant portion of the funds was either transformed into personal fixed deposits or funneled through numerous shell companies in Delhi to conceal the origins of the illicit funds.

During the search operations, the ED confiscated incriminating documents, electronic devices, and an Audi car.

Previously, fixed deposits and bank balances totaling Rs 34.03 crore were provisionally attached under the PMLA, with the attachment validated by the adjudicating authority.