ED Cracks Down on Dahod Scam: Properties Worth Rs 22.70 Crore Attached

The Enforcement Directorate attached assets valued at Rs 22.70 crore related to a Dahod scam involving fake government offices. The offenders allegedly forged official documents to fraudulently obtain government funds, which were later laundered through numerous bank accounts.

In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced on Monday the attachment of movable and immovable properties worth Rs 22.70 crore, linked to the alleged Dahod fake government offices scam.

The assets include seven land parcels, mutual fund investments, and various bank account balances. The investigation stemmed from a First Information Report (FIR) filed by Dahod Town 'A' Division Police Station in Gujarat.

The case involves the creation of six bogus offices of the Irrigation and Water Resources Department in Dahod district, where the accused impersonated officials and forged documents to secure government grants.

The ED's Ahmedabad zonal office seized these assets under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, from Abubakar Jakirali Saiyad, his family, and associates. The accused allegedly orchestrated 121 fake projects to illicitly capture government funds.

The illegally acquired monies were funneled through a complex web of bank accounts, eventually used for property purchases and various investments, the agency revealed in a statement.

Funds initially landed in nine accounts set under fake government names, later transferred through 18 intermediary accounts, and ultimately spread across 118 accounts pertaining to the accused and related entities.

The agency urged citizens to safeguard their financial information, cautioning against sharing banking credentials for trivial remunerations as these accounts could be exploited for laundering proceeds from cyber frauds and scams.

Staying vigilant against suspicious banking requests is crucial, the ED emphasized, to prevent legal liabilities even for unwitting facilitators of such frauds.

Any unusual solicitations for bank account usage should be reported without delay, it advised. (ANI)