ED files chargesheet against ex-IAS officer in cheating case

New Delhi, Jan 4 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said that it has filed a chargesheet against former IAS officer Babu Lal Agarwal, his brothers and several others in a cheating case, officials said.

The ED has also urged the court for rewarding punishment and confiscation of attached properties to the tune of Rs 63.95 crore of the accused.

An ED official here said that the agency has named Agarwal, his brothers Ashok Kumar Agrawal and Pawan Kumar Agrawal, who are also Directors of Prime Ispat Ltd in Chhattisgarh's Raipur, his Chartered Accountant (CA) Sunil Agrawal and others under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) in a case relating to corruption, cheating and forgery.

The ED had registered a case of money laundering on the basis of an FIR registered by the anti-corruption branch of Chhattisgarh which disclosed the disproportionate assets amassed by Agrawal and his family members, which were revealed during raids by the Income Tax Department in February 2010 at the premises of the former IAS officer, his CA and his family members.

The CBI had also registered several cases and filed chargesheet against Agrawal and others.

The official said that Agrawal in connivance with his CA and his brothers opened more than 400 bank accounts in the name of gullible villagers of Kharora, and its nearby villagers.

"Cash was deposited in these accounts and several other accounts," the official said adding that 13 shell companies owned and operated by his CA, 26 Delhi and Kolkata based other shell companies as well as the sister concerns of Prime Ispat Limited (a company owned and managed by family members of Agrawal) were used in placement and layering of this cash generated from corrupt means which was finally integrated in the form of share capital including share premium in Prime Ispat Limited (PIL)," he said.

Agrawal was arrested by ED on November 9 last year and he is currently in judicial custody.