Siphoning of funds from Indian Himalayan Centre for Adventure and Eco Tourism: ED attaches assets worth Rs 32.57 lakh
Feb 06, 2025
New Delhi [India], February 6 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached movable and immovable assets valued at Rs 32.57 lakh belonging to Narendra Kumar Chettri and his wife Jayanti Thapa and other individuals in connection with the fraudulent siphoning of funds from the Indian Himalayan Centre for Adventure and Eco Tourism (IHCAE), Chemchey, South Sikkim, according to ED press release.
ED's Gangtok sub-zonal office provisionally attached these properties under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
https://x.com/dir_ed/status/1887418070567952393
The assets attached include immovable property in the form of plot of land measuring 0.1280 hectares, located in South Sikkim owned by Narendra Chettri and movable properties in the form of Bank account balances across ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, SBI, and HDFC Bank, totalling Rs 7.77 Lakh in the name of various individuals, said the ED.
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ED initiated investigation on the basis of an First Information Report (FIR) dated June 13, 2016 registered by the Sikkim vigilance police against Narendra, who, during his tenure as Assistant Director-cum-Principal of IHCAE, was found to have dishonestly and wilfully issued cheques amounting to Rs 1.36 crore to unauthorized persons without maintaining official records.
"These funds were transferred to private individuals, including his wife, and subsequently withdrawn in cash without any material procurement or legitimate transactions," said the agency.
The investigation under PMLA continues, with further efforts to trace the remaining proceeds of crime and locate the individuals involved. ED remains committed to ensuring that properties and assets acquired through illegal activities are identified and secured to prevent their disposal and to safeguard public funds.
