Indore: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached nine immovable properties valued at Rs 3.48 crore in connection with the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) fake bill scam. The action was taken by the Indore Sub‑Zonal Office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as part of an ongoing probe.
The attached assets include residential houses and flats, residential plots, commercial shops and agricultural land located in Indore and Dhar districts of Madhya Pradesh. These properties are held in the names of accused persons, beneficiaries and their family members or co‑owners.
The ED initiated the investigation based on multiple FIRs registered at Police Station MG Road, Indore. The cases relate to fraudulent withdrawal of public funds from the IMC treasury through fake bills, forged work orders, fabricated measurement books and other falsified records. In several instances, the works mentioned had either not been executed or had already been completed under genuine work orders.
ED’s probe revealed that contractor firms, in connivance with IMC officials and officials of the Local Fund Audit and Resident Audit Department, prepared and processed forged work‑order files and fake bills. Through this modus operandi, public funds amounting to Rs 103.62 crore were siphoned off from the IMC treasury.
The illegally obtained money was withdrawn in cash, distributed among contractors, public servants and other beneficiaries, transferred to related entities, intermingled with other funds and used for asset acquisition as well as personal expenditure.
Earlier, on July 3, 2025, the ED had issued a provisional attachment order covering 43 immovable properties valued at approximately Rs 33.65 crore. With the latest attachment, the total value of immovable properties provisionally attached in the case now stands at about Rs 37.14 crore.
In addition, searches conducted under Section 17 of the PMLA at various premises linked to the accused and associated entities led to the seizure and freezing of cash, valuables and other assets worth around Rs 22.04 crore. The combined value of attachments and seizures in the case currently totals Rs 59.18 crore.
The agency had also arrested three accused persons, Abhay Singh Rathore, Mohd. Zakir and Rahul Badera, on June 1, 2026, under Section 19 of the PMLA. All three remain in judicial custody. Further investigation is in progress.
(IANS)
