The ED has provisionally attached two immovable properties at Delhi and the amounts in the bank accounts of Sneh Enterprises and its proprietor Sneh Rani totaling to Rs 3.68 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the case of fraudulent payments of Rs 13.43 crore from Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, AIIMS (RPC, AIIMS).
The ED initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR dated September 6, 2021 registered by Delhi Police under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against one Bijender Kumar, employee of AIIMS, and others. In this case, during the Covid 19 pandemic, payments were released to Sneh Enterprises without supply of ‘linen and other store items’ to RPC, AIIMS.
The ED probe revealed that Bijender Kumar, Junior Administrative Assistant at RPC, AIIMS, and others, in well planned conspiracy, generated ‘Proceeds of Crime’ by committing cheating/fraud with RPC, AIIMS, New Delhi, the ED said in a statement.
“Investigations so far disclose that during the period of December 2020 to September 2021, Rs 13.43 crore have been embezzled and laundered and Proceeds of Crime was generated,” it said.
The agency said Bijender Kumar was working as Junior Administrative Assistant, in RPC, AIIMS and he with the assistance of Program Assistant (Contractual) to Dr Atul Kumar, the then Chief of RPC, AIIMS, raised fake indents and created fake supply order in favour of Sneh Enterprises. Further, he created fake delivery challans, including inspection note and got an amount of Rs 13.43 crore released to Sneh Enterprises, in lieu of illegal gratification, without delivery of any goods, which he invested in purchase of two immovable properties at Delhi for Rs 70 lakh.
The proprietor of Sneh Enterprises, Sneh Rani, further transferred the amounts fraudulently received from AIIMS to her other bank accounts and made further payments to various parties. An amount of Rs 2.98 crore has been traced to the bank accounts of Sneh Enterprises and its proprietor, it added.