The Enforcement Directorate’s Patna Zonal Office has provisionally attached an immovable property valued at Rs 17.35 lakh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The property is linked to Sadre Alam, the former Chief General Manager and Regional Officer of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Patna. This action is part of a case involving alleged disproportionate assets and money laundering.
The attachment order pertains to the suspected acquisition of assets beyond known sources of income and the laundering of illicit funds. The investigation was initiated following an FIR by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) in Patna. It alleges that Sadre Alam amassed assets disproportionate to his income between July 2021 and September 2022.
According to the FIR, the value of the disproportionate assets is estimated at around Rs 89.09 lakh. The Enforcement Directorate’s probe uncovered a complex money trail indicating that the proceeds of crime were funneled through bank accounts associated with Sadre Alam. These funds were then moved through multiple layers of bank transfers.
During a prior search operation by the CBI, cash totaling Rs 71.01 lakh and jewelry were seized from Sadre Alam’s residence. Despite this, he reportedly failed to provide a satisfactory explanation or evidence regarding the source of the recovered cash. Of the total quantified proceeds of crime, assets worth Rs 71.01 lakh had already been confiscated by the CBI, with the remaining Rs 17.35 lakh now provisionally attached by the ED in the form of agricultural land under the PMLA, 2002.
The Enforcement Directorate has stated that the investigation into the case is ongoing.
