ED Charges Six KVIC Employees in Rs 3.89 Crore Fund Misappropriation Case
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Ranchi, March 25 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a chargesheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, against six individuals implicated in the alleged embezzlement of government funds from the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) State Office in Ranchi.
This prosecution complaint was lodged on March 24, 2026, with the Special Judge, CBI-cum-Special Judge under the PMLA in Ranchi, targeting Sunil Kumar (a former Executive at KVIC Ranchi), Aman Kumar, Shahil, Priya, Binod Kumar Baitha (previously a Senior Executive in Administration and Human Resources at KVIC Ranchi), and Banku Nishad.
The ED's investigation into the money laundering case was initiated based on an FIR and chargesheet from the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch, Ranchi. The underlying offences include criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and criminal misconduct as outlined in the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
As per the ED's findings, Sunil Kumar, in collaboration with his relatives and other co-accused, set up fictitious entities, including a shell company employing a forged Corporate Identification Number (CIN).
They reportedly misappropriated funds amounting to approximately Rs 3.89 crore that were sanctioned under the Khadi Reform and Development Programme (KRDP), redirecting these funds into personal bank accounts of his relatives without performing any legitimate work.
The co-accused relatives allegedly relinquished their banking credentials and endorsed blank cheques, which enabled the acquisition, possession, and layering of the illicit proceeds through various proxy accounts.
The laundered funds were subsequently used to purchase immovable properties registered in the name of Sunil Kumar’s wife in Ormanjhi, Ranchi, with the true sale value intentionally concealed through deliberate undervaluation in the registered deed documents.
During the inquiry, the ED executed a search on March 20, 2025, at Sunil Kumar's residence under Section 17 of the PMLA.
The agency provisionally seized assets worth Rs 71.91 lakh, a move later validated by the Adjudicating Authority.
Furthermore, Rs 31.11 lakh that was transferred to the Ashram Kalyan Nidhi Nyas Trust, Ranchi, from the illegal proceeds, was voluntarily returned by the trust and deposited with the ED.