The Enforcement Directorate (ED) submitted a supplementary chargesheet in a Special PMLA Court in Visakhapatnam regarding the misappropriation of funds by a private company involved in a skill development project with the Andhra Pradesh government. Individuals named in the chargesheet include Vikas Khanvelkar, Suman Bose, Mukul Chandra Agarwal, Suresh Goyal, and others.
Designtech Systems Private Limited (DTSPL) was identified in the chargesheet as the company involved in the case. The total value of attached properties in connection with the case amounts to Rs 54.74 crore, as confirmed by the ED. The Special Court in Visakhapatnam acknowledged the supplementary chargesheet on January 28.
The investigation by the ED was initiated following a complaint filed by the Andhra Pradesh CID against DTSPL and others for fraudulent activities in the APSSDC Siemens Project. The diverted funds were originally intended for skill development and entrepreneurship promotion by the state government. The accused allegedly diverted the funds through illicit means using shell entities.
The ED’s probe uncovered that key individuals, including Khanvelkar and Bose, diverted government funds through complex transactions involving fake invoices. The diversion was facilitated by the use of defunct entities and entry providers who received commissions for their services. Khanvelkar, Bose, Agarwal, and Goyal were arrested by the ED on March 4, 2023, during the investigation.
Following the arrests, fixed deposits worth Rs 31.20 crore held by DTSPL were seized by the ED in April 2023. Subsequently, a chargesheet was filed before the Special Court in Visakhapatnam, which acknowledged it in May 2023. Further investigation led to the discovery of additional illicit proceeds in the hands of other involved parties, resulting in the attachment of assets worth Rs 23.54 crore in various locations.
A supplementary chargesheet was filed before the Special PMLA Court in Visakhapatnam based on the additional findings of the ED’s investigation.
