ED files chargesheet against liquor mafia for money laundering

PATNA: The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday filed prosecution complaint (chargesheet) before a special PMLA court in Patna against Bhojpur based liquor mafia Sanjay Pratap Singh, his wife Kiran Devi and his associate Srikumar Singh seeking punishment and confiscation of movable and immovable property worth Rs 1.31 crore allegedly amassed by laundering money earned for illicit country liquor trade prior to prohibition enforcement in state.
ED sources said that they had already provisionally confiscated 15 land plots including two having construction on them which were on name of Sanjay, Kiran and his associates.
They said these plot are worth estimated to be to Rs 1, 31, 59, 797 crore as per government rates. They said that multiple bank accounts having deposits of Rs 30, 757. 94 which were either in name of Sanjay or his unregistered firm named Maa construction were also provisionally attached.
“In course of investigation, ED found that money amassed by Sanjay from illegal country liquor trade was used in amassing immovable properties in his and wife’s name who had no source of income,” an ED source said.
The officer also said Sanjay created an unregistered firm named Bhojpur wines traders to launder money earned from liquor trade. He said that Sanjay also formed Maa construction for acquiring immovable property and further investigation was going on.
“It was Economic Offences Unit of state police had forwarded case details of a hooch tragedy to ED which had took place at Nawada in Bhojpur which claimed 21 lives on December 7, 2012,” he said.
He said that a Bhojpur court had already handed over life imprisonment to Sanjay and 13 others in the hooch tragedy case on July 24, 2018.