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ED seizes Porshe, BMW among 10 luxury cars in Odisha raids
The ED seized luxury cars, superbikes, cash, and jewelry in Bhubaneswar linked to a ₹1,396-crore bank fraud involving Indian Technomac Company Ltd.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has confiscated at least 10 luxury cars and three superbikes collectively valued at over ₹7 crore as well as jewellery and cash during searches conducted at multiple locations in Bhubaneswar in Odisha as part of its money laundering investigation into ₹1,396-crore bank fraud involving Himachal Pradesh-based Indian Technomac Company Ltd (ITCOL), people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
The searches, conducted on Friday, covered the residence of businessman Shakti Ranjan Dash and the offices of two companies he heads—Anmol Mines Pvt Ltd (AMPL) and Anmol Resources Pvt Ltd (ARPL). According to ED officials, Dash allegedly played a key role in helping ITCOL promoters launder bank funds through mining ventures in Odisha.
“Among the vehicles confiscated were a Porsche Cayenne, BMW X7, Mercedes Benz GLC, Audi A3, Mini Cooper, and a Honda Gold Wing superbike. Officials also recovered jewellery worth ₹1.12 crore, ₹13 lakh in cash, and documents related to immovable assets. Two bank lockers in Dash’s name were also frozen,” an official privy to the raids said, declining to be named.
The case stems from a Himachal Pradesh CID’s FIR against ITCOL and its promoters, who allegedly siphoned off loans taken between 2009 and 2013 from a consortium led by Bank of India. Investigators said ITCOL obtained loans on the basis of forged project reports and fake sales to shell companies, diverting the funds for other purposes.
ED’s probe revealed that ₹59.8 crore was routed into the accounts of AMPL, managed by Dash, who allegedly assisted ITCOL promoter Rakesh Kumar Sharma in diverting the bank loans and integrating them into mining operations. “The funds were projected as legitimate in the books of AMPL,” ED has maintained.
So far, ED has attached assets worth ₹310 crore in the case, of which ₹289 crore were restituted to the bank consortium earlier this year. Friday’s seizures mark the latest crackdown in the ongoing probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
“Dash knowingly assisted in laundering the proceeds of crime and attempted to legitimise them through corporate entities he controlled,” a second official said, also requesting anonymity.
