In a boost to India’s efforts to fight money laundering crimes having cross-border connections, Enforcement Directorate has attached assets over Rs 4 crore of kidney scam kingpin Amit Kumar.
This is the first legal action abroad by any probe agency in a criminal case. The Australian Federal police, counterpart for the ED, has issued prohibitory orders (meaning you cannot access, sell or lease) on a posh bungalow of the doctor in Melbourne’s Sunbury area after a special Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMlA) court in Delhi had issued a letters Rogatory (legal request) in this regard last year.
The property has an estimated value of Rs 4.35 crore. ED sleuths served the order on Kumar on Thursday in a jail in Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur where he is lodged at present in judicial custody in connection with same case. ED probe had found this bungalow of Kumar was purchased from “proceeds of crime”. “This is first time that an Indian agency has attached property for criminal offence in foreign land. This is a big step when it comes to cripple money launderers and hawala operatives,” official said.