ED freezes 3.95cr in Arunachal highway funds-laundering case

Guwahati: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has carried out two search operations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Arunachal Pradesh in respect of an investigation relating to the Trans Arunachal Highway Project.
The directorate stated that it has frozen bank accounts, recurring deposits and fixed desposits worth Rs 3.95 crore. According to the ED, it initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR lodged in February, 2019 by the special investigation cell (SIC) of the vigilance wing of the state police against some government officials alleging their conspiracy with certain private individuals who “misappropriated” the compensation funds meant for the affected persons and beneficiaries of the Trans Arunachal Highway Project.
“Investigation by the ED has revealed that multiple fake beneficiaries were created by some government officials in connivance with private individuals to cause wrongful gain to themselves and wrongful loss to the government exchequer. The investigation has further established that part of the proceeds of the crime so generated by the accused persons were routed through several banks’ accounts and FDs,” the ED said in a statement. The 2,396-km-long road project aims to connect 16 districts of the state running from Tawang in western Arunachal to Kanubari in Longding district in the southastern part of the state.