Assets worth more than ₹2.39 crore of a former general manager [finance] of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and five others have been attached under the anti-money laundering in a probe linked to alleged funds fraud at the State-run aerospace major of the country, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on July 30.
A provisional Order for attaching movable and immovable properties of Bhaben Maitra, who served as the general manager (finance) of HAL, Bipra Charana Maharana, Sadananda Nayak, Jisudan Khosla, Jayaram Garada Jagannath Apat and late Urdhaba Khosla has been issued under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the Central agency said in a statement. The total value of these assets is ₹2,39,38,681, it said.
The ED had booked the accused after taking cognisance of six FIRs filed against them by the Bhubaneswar anti-corruption branch (ACB) unit of the CBI on charges that they "embezzled an amount of ₹18.75 crore of HAL by forging documents between 2013-18".
The Agency alleged Maitra and others "acquired monetary proceeds through commission of crimes and indulged in criminal activities, generated proceeds of crime, concealed it and acquired various assets to hide their source and projected them as untainted”.
