Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Zonal Office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), on Tuesday, filed a supplementary prosecution complaint against 17 accused persons before a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court at Mangaluru in connection with double compensation scam at the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) in Dharwad in connection with the case of V.D. Sajjan and others under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002.
This scam was perpetrated by V.D. Sajjan, a retired Special Land Acquisition Officer from Dharwad, in collusion with other accused persons.
A total of three persons were arrested in the case during the course of investigation and at present, all of them are in judicial custody under PMLA, 2002, the ED said.
According to ED investigation under PMLA, 2002, in this case has revealed ingenious modus operandi used by the accused persons to fraudulently claim and withdraw double compensation from KIADB in the name of persons, who had already received compensation or who had passed away or who are ineligible persons to receive the compensation.
The ED investigation revealed the modus of fraudulently updating Aadhar details of different individuals by the accused persons to create fake identities.
The fake identities created were further used to open bank account through which proceeds of crime was laundered, the ED added.
The investigation was initiated based on the FIR related to seven fraudulent transactions in KIADB at Dharwad amounting to Rs 19.9 crore.
However, the PMLA investigation uncovered a total of 29 fraudulent transactions amounting to Rs 64.48 crore.
The details of the fraudulent transactions has been shared with the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) investigating the scheduled offence under Section 66(2) of the PMLA, 2002, the ED said in an official statement.
In the meanwhile, ED has attached properties amounting to nearly Rs 13 crore so far in this case.
Earlier, a prosecution complaint was filed in this case against 22 accused persons in the Court of PMLA Additional District and Sessions Court Judge at Mangaluru in November 2024.
The court has taken cognisance of the matter and the case is under trial.
Further investigation is underway.
(IANS)
