ED files charge sheet against Bihar health secretary in money laundering case

The ED prosecution complaint, or charge sheet, accuses K Senthil Kumar of running private firms in Patna and a trust in Tamil Nadu in the name of his brother

PATNA: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against Bihar health secretary K Senthil Kumar and three others in connection with a money laundering case. The ED case, which was registered back in 2012, was based on a probe by the state vigilance investigation bureau (VIB) that started investigating Senthil Kumar and others in July 2010 on charges that they caused a loss of over ₹7.6 crore to the exchequer during his tenure as Munger district magistrate and commissioner of the Patna Municipal Corporation.

The Enforcement Directorate filed the prosecution complaint in a case against Bihar health secretary K Senthil Kumar in a 2012 case of alleged money laundering. (ED)

The ED prosecution complaint names K Senthil Kumar, a 1996 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), his brother K Ayyappan, a retired 1995-batch IAS officer Baidyanath Das who served in the municipal corporation, and a contractor Bimal Kumar.

In March 2018, the federal agency attached assets worth ₹2.5 crore in Patna and Chennai in this case including Senthil Kumar’s apartment in Patna’s Nageshwar Colony, a land parcel worth ₹1.97 crore in the name of a trust and 37 land parcels estimated to be worth nearly ₹38 lakh.

ED’s prosecution complaint accuses Senthil Kumar of running private companies in Patna such as Sudha Super Market and Chennai Cafe in the name of his brother. Besides, the IAS officer is also alleged to have started a trust, Indira Memorial Education Trust back home in Tamil Nadu, also in his brother’s name.

ED officials have claimed Senthil Kumar awarded many government contracts to Bimal Kumar through who, he laundered the money that he made at public expense. According to the charge sheet, the IAS officer had acquired illegal properties worth Rs. 2.6 crore.

Senthil Kumar could not be reached for his comments despite repeated attempts. This story will be updated when he responds to the request for his reaction.