ED files prosecution complaint against 4 accused for suspicious illegal cash transactions
Oct 22, 2020
New Delhi [India], October 22 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) against Raj Kumar Goenka, Ashok Kumar Goenka, Ratan Kumar Goenka of Muzaffarpur and Pankaj Agrawal of Kolkata in a case relating to misuse of banking channels for huge suspicious illegal cash transactions post-demonetisation.
The prosecution complaint has been filed before the Special Judge (PMLA), Patna with a prayer for awarding punishment to the accused of committing an offence of money laundering and confiscation of the attached assets worth Rs 4.61 crores in the form of movable and immovable properties in the name of Raj Kumar Goenka and in the name of his family members.
ED initiated the investigation against Raj Kumar Goenka and others under PMLA on the basis of FIR registered with Mithanpura police station in Muzaffarpur, Bihar for the offence punishable under section 120B, 420, 467 and 471 of IPC.
"Investigation under PMLA has revealed that Raj Kumar Goenka along with his brothers fraudulently and dishonestly got opened several bank accounts by misusing photographs and other documents of their employees and huge cash transactions were effected from these bank accounts without the knowledge of the actual account holders," ED said in a press note.
"Subsequently, by way of RTGS/NEFT, the said deposited cash was transferred to the bank accounts of his counterparts in various cities namely, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, etc. His counterparts used to receive cash against cheque from various entities and the cash so received was given to the person/entity, on behalf of whom, cash was received by Goenka Brothers in Muzaffarpur. In this manner, proceeds of crime amounting to Rs 25.80 crores was deposited in these bank accounts and the same was subsequently dishonestly transferred and layered through various bank accounts with an intention to launder the tainted money to project the same as untainted. Provisional attachment order was issued attaching Proceeds of Crime (POC) totalling Rs 4.61 crores," it added.
The investigation also revealed that Pankaj Agarwal was facilitating the money laundering at Kolkata in collusion with Raj Kumar Goenka and his brothers at Muzaffarpur. The accused Pankaj Agrawal and Raj Kumar Goenka were arrested by ED on September 22, 2020, and at present are in judicial custody at Adarsh Kendriya Kara Beur, Patna.
Further investigation is under progress.
