CBI set to attach Koda properties worth Rs100 crore

The Enforcement Directorate is all set to attach properties worth a whopping Rs100 crore belonging to former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and his associates as part of its probe into the multi-crore illegal investment and hawala transaction cases against him.

News agency PTI cited unnamed official sources to say the ED has received permission from a court to attach various identified properties belonging to Koda and his close associates, mainly Binod Sinha and Sanjay Chowdhary. While Sinha is in judicial custody, Chowdhary is said to have escaped abroad.

The ED had recently attached properties worth Rs200 crore in connection with the same case.

The sources said while the earlier properties were primarily in Jharkhand and Bihar, the new identified properties are spread across the country, including in Maharashtra. The properties will be sealed and a complete embargo would be issued by the directorate against their sale and purchase as an inquiry is on against the owners.

The attachment and sealing of property would be in force for at least three months, subject to adjudication of courts and investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the ED and other agencies like the Income Tax department and the CBI.

Koda and his associates are facing an onslaught of inquiries by various probe agencies like the ED, I-T department, the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Jharkhand Vigilance Bureau regarding alleged illegal investments and hawala transactions in India and abroad.