The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday attached assets worth Rs 1.51 crore of IAS officer Padma Jaiswal and her family in connection with a money-laundering investigation against the bureaucrat, who was accused of corruption during her posting in Arunachal Pradesh.
The central agency said in a statement that a provisional order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), attaching a commercial property (Booth No. 274, Sector-40D) in Chandigarh in the name of Jaiswal’s brother, Vishu Bhanu Partap Mahto, and mutual fund investments of Rs 9 lakh held in her name.
The Chandigarh asset bears a current market value of Rs 1.42 crore, the ED said.
Jaiswal could not immediately be contacted for comments on the ED action against her and her brother.
The ED’s money-laundering case against Jaiswal, a 2003-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the AGMUT cadre, stems from a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR alleging that the officer, in a criminal conspiracy with other accused public servants, misappropriated Government funds when she was posted as the deputy commissioner of West Kameng district at Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh.
According to the ED, this was allegedly done by fraudulently dissolving three Government deposit at call receipts (DCRs) and causing the issuance of ten demand drafts, totaling Rs 28 lakh in favour of private individuals by falsely portraying the transactions as Government transactions.
“The diverted funds were subsequently routed and utilised in connection with acquisition of immovable properties in the names of her close relatives,” the ED claimed.
The CBI filed a chargesheet against Jaiswal and other accused under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act in August 2024.