ED Seizes Assets of Former RGPV Officials in Bhopal
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Synopsis
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized assets valued at Rs 10.77 crore from former officials of RGPV in Bhopal. This action is part of an investigation into a financial scandal involving the embezzlement of university funds.
Key Takeaways
- ED seized assets worth Rs 10.77 crore.
- Involved officials include ex-Vice Chancellor and registrars.
- Investigation follows FIR on embezzlement of Rs 19.48 crore.
- Assets also include gold jewelry and mutual funds.
- Separate inquiry into Shailendra Pasari's disproportionate assets.
Bhopal, March 17 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has confiscated assets -- both movable and immovable -- worth Rs 10.77 crore in Bhopal. These properties are owned by Sunil Kumar, the ex-Vice Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV), Rakesh Singh Rajput, the former registrar, Hrishikesh Verma, the previous Finance Controller, along with Kumar Mayank, Ramkumar Raghuvanshi (both former bank officials), and other private entities implicated in a financial scandal related to RGPV.
This operation is conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002 and pertains to a case of misappropriation of university funds.
The ED initiated its investigation following an FIR lodged by the Gandhi Nagar Police Station in Bhopal. The FIR, based on sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) of 1860 and the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988, accused former RGPV officials of embezzling Rs 19.48 crore from the institution.
ED’s investigation revealed that these officials, along with Kumar Mayank and others, misappropriated university funds for personal benefits, aggregating to Rs 19.48 crore.
In earlier operations under Section 17 of the PMLA, the ED also froze gold jewelry, mutual funds, and bank accounts amounting to Rs 1.67 crore during their search and seizure activities.
In a different inquiry, the ED in Bhopal has provisionally seized assets valued at Rs 57.96 lakh owned by Shailendra Pasari. This seizure, also under the PMLA of 2002, is linked to a case concerning the accumulation of wealth far exceeding his known income.
The investigation commenced after the Central Bureau of Investigation’s Anti-Corruption Branch (CBI, ACB) in Jabalpur filed an FIR against Pasari under the Prevention of Corruption Act of 1988, alleging corruption related to disproportionate asset accumulation. Pasari was serving as Senior Manager (Civil) of Jayant Project, Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), Singrauli (MP).
Subsequently, the CBI submitted charges against Pasari and his wife, Jyoti Pasari, claiming they accumulated Rs 1.30 crore in unaccounted wealth. The ED's investigation uncovered that Pasari had developed a significant property portfolio in his name and his family’s by transferring cash into bank accounts and converting it into fixed deposits under various family members’ names. Previously, the CBI had confiscated Rs 72.97 lakh in cash from Pasari’s residence, office, and lockers.
