ED attaches assets worth Rs 50 lakh ex-EPFO officer in DA, bribery case

New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate Wednesday said it has attached assets worth more than Rs 50 lakh of a Madhya Pradesh-based former EPFO officer and his family under the anti-money laundering law in a case linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets and bribery.

A provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was issued on Tuesday against the officer, Shyamlal Akhand, the federal agency said in a statement.

As an enforcement officer in the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Akhand "abused" his official position to illicitly accumulate wealth exceeding his known lawful income during the check period between 2009 and 2019, the ED claimed.

Investigation found that he was engaged in "corrupt" practices, including demanding and accepting "bribes", and utilised the "proceeds of crime" to acquire immovable properties in his name and that of his wife and son, it said.

According to the ED, Akhand explained that income from his salary, rental earnings, agricultural income, and income from his wife's embroidery and stitching business were the sources of funds.

However, he "failed" to produce any documentary evidence to substantiate the existence or earnings of his wife's alleged business activities, the probe agency said.

The ED also found "significant" cash deposits in multiple family bank accounts of Akhand.

The attached properties include an agricultural land in the Nalwa village of Ujjain district, held jointly in the name of his wife and son, and a residential plot at Emerald City in Indore district's Jakhya village that was registered in Akhand's name, it said.

According to the ED, the value of these assets is Rs 50.80 lakh.

The money laundering case against the officer stems from two FIRs filed by the CBI against Akhand -- one for accepting a bribe and another for possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. PTI NES NSD NSD