Have Properties of Former Railway Officer Ved Prakash Srivastava Been Attached by the ED?
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Bhopal, Feb 6 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced on Friday that it has provisionally attached the assets of the late Ved Prakash Srivastava, a former Divisional Engineer of the Western Railways, along with those of his spouse, Vibha Srivastava, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The attached properties include two residential plots located in Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh, along with 22 other immovable assets, fixed deposits, and bank balances, cumulatively valued at over Rs 1.58 crore.
The central investigative body stated that this action followed an inquiry initiated based on an FIR filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Ved Prakash Srivastava, who was then the Divisional Engineer in the Rajkot Division of Western Railways, for allegedly acquiring assets disproportionate to his known income.
The ED's investigation revealed that the illicit cash generated from corrupt practices was initially retained and utilized outside the banking system for everyday expenses, which was evident from low cash withdrawals from bank accounts.
“Subsequently, parts of the Proceeds of Crime were funneled into numerous bank accounts registered under family members’ names, effectively obscuring the money trail. These funds were later converted into fixed deposits, investments, and utilized for acquiring immovable assets, including residential plots, in the names of family members lacking independent income sources,” stated the ED.
Following the filing of an FIR in 2018, the CBI had conducted searches at Ved Prakash Srivastava's residence in Jabalpur for supposedly holding assets disproportionate to his declared income.
Prior to his transfer to Rajkot in December 2017, Srivastava, originally from Jabalpur, served as an executive engineer (construction) in Mumbai.
The CBI subsequently named Vibha Srivastava as a co-accused, and a charge sheet was submitted to the special CBI court in Jabalpur in May 2023.