Money laundering: ED attaches assets of Odisha bureaucrat couple, former BJD MLA

ED officials said properties worth ₹3.94 crore belonging to Odisha finance service officer Nalini Prusty and her husband Bijaya Ketan Sahoo, a former tehsildar, were attached in connection with a case registered against the couple in 2018.

Updated on: Mar 15, 2022, 20:37:48 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

BHUBANESWAR: The enforcement directorate (ED) has attached assets worth ₹5.4 crore in a money laundering case registered against a bureaucrat couple and a former MLA of the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) who were arrested on charges of amassing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income, officials said.

ED officials said assets worth ₹1.52 crore of former MLA and BJD leader Anam Naik was attached in connection with a money laundering case registered against him. (File)

ED officials said properties worth ₹3.94 crore belonging to Odisha finance service officer Nalini Prusty, a former accounts officer with the Odisha school education programme authority, and her husband Bijaya Ketan Sahoo, a former tehsildar, were attached under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in connection with a case registered against the couple in 2018.

The couple were arrested and later released on bail. ED initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of a first information report (FIR) lodged by vigilance officials under Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018, against them on charges of possessing disproportionate assets worth ₹5.05 crore.

ED deputy director Sandeep Ahuja said investigations revealed that Nalini Prusty and Bijaya Ketan Sahoo invested their unaccounted money in acquiring various properties and bank investments in their name and in the name of Debaki Prusty, the mother of Prusty. The properties included two flats in Bhubaneswar worth ₹1.8 crore, furniture and interior articles valued at ₹1.34 crore, a flat in Puri town estimated at ₹21.4 lakh, a triple-storied building in Bhubaneswar worth ₹49.6 lakh, six plots in Bhubaneswar and Jatni worth ₹58 lakh, fixed deposits in four banks worth ₹1.24 crore, deposit of ₹22 lakh in saving bank accounts, household articles of ₹46 lakh and gold, diamond jewellery estimated at ₹40 lakh.

Soon after the Vigilance lodged the case, Prusty’s mother ended her life by jumping from the roof of an apartment.

In another case, ED attached assets worth ₹1.52 crore of former MLA and BJD leader Anam Naik in connection with a money laundering case registered against him. Naik, a BJD MLA from Bhawanipatna between 2009 and 2014, was arrested in January 2020 by the Odisha Vigilance on charges of amassing disproportionate assets to his known sources of income. Following it, ED initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR lodged under Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act.

ED officials said Naik has invested his income in acquiring various properties and bank investments in his name and in the name of his family members.

“Now that property is attached, we would file a prosecution complaint before a PMLA Court. Post-trial if the accused are convicted then the properties would be confiscated. Till then no financial transaction can be done with these properties,” said the ED deputy director.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.