The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached immovable properties valued at approximately Rs 53.28 crore in connection with a money laundering case involving retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Prasanta Kumar Dutta, his family members, and group companies. The attachment order covers various hotel properties in Guwahati and two residential flats in Mumbai, allegedly acquired through illicit means as per the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Dutta, who retired as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police in 2019, came under scrutiny following an FIR by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Branch of Assam Police. The FIR accused Dutta of amassing assets disproportionate to his known income sources during his service from 1992 to 2019. While his disclosed income and expenditure were around Rs 7.23 crore and Rs 9.04 crore respectively, undisclosed assets worth about Rs 77.21 crore were allegedly found, with disproportionate assets estimated at approximately Rs 79.01 crore.
The Enforcement Directorate’s investigation revealed that the alleged proceeds of crime were funneled through three closely held companies – Mahamaya Estates Pvt Ltd, Ishan Commercial Pvt Ltd, and Murari Commodities Pvt Ltd, with non-existent registered offices. The agency claimed that over Rs 14.74 crore in unexplained cash was channeled through family members and these companies via fictitious shareholders, shell entities in Kolkata, and circular bank transactions before being invested in hotel properties and residential flats.
Following his retirement, despite the existence of the FIR and Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), Dutta reportedly transferred 3.7 lakh shares of Ishan Commercial Pvt Ltd from alleged dummy shareholders to his name, becoming the majority shareholder in the company, which owns three of the attached hotels. The attached properties include Hotel Bhargav and Bhargav Inn in Paltan Bazar, Hotel Bhargav at Lokhra Chariali, Hotel Bhargav Grand at Betkuchi in Guwahati, and two residential flats in Andheri (West), Mumbai. The Enforcement Directorate stated that further investigation is ongoing.
