ED attaches Rs 81,422 cr assets in FY26

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered a mixed but impressive performance in the financial year 2025-26, according to its official annual report.

Though arrests in money laundering cases dipped by about 27 per cent, the agency achieved an all-time high in the value of attached assets at Rs 81,422 crore. Searches and raids under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) nearly doubled, while restitution to fraud victims more than doubled the internal target, crossing Rs 32,000 crore.

The data from the ED’s Annual Report for FY-2025-26 (April 2025 — March 2026) underscores a strategic shift towards more targeted, evidence-based investigations that prioritise financial deprivation of criminals over sheer volume of arrests. This approach has not only boosted asset recovery but also accelerated case closures.

As per the official data, the ED effected 156 arrests in money laundering cases during FY-26, down from 214 in FY-25 (a 27 per cent decline) and 272 in FY-23-24. The agency attributed the reduction to “more targeted and evidence-based investigations.”

A record Rs 81,422 crore was attached under 712 provisional attachment orders, a massive 171 per cent jump in value from Rs 30,036 crore under 461 orders in FY-25. The ED described provisional attachment as a “central instrument” to strip criminals of the “fruits of crime generated illicitly”. 

The number of searches conducted under PMLA surged to 2,892 in FY-26, almost double the 1,491 raids in the previous year. The agency noted it was moving beyond physical raids by “triangulating financial intelligence from multiple databases,” using blockchain analytics for crypto flows, and accessing real-time corporate and property records.

A record 812 chargesheets were filed in FY-26, as compared to 457 in FY-25. This contributed to slashing the average case lifecycle from 3-4 years to 1-1.5 years, the report States.

According to the data, Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs), the trigger for PMLA probes rose 39 per cent to 1,080 cases from 775 in FY25. The ED restored assets worth Rs 32,678 crore to victims of fraud (including investors, homebuyers, and banks), more than double its own target of Rs 15,000 crore set by Director Rahul Navin at the start of FY-26. This compares with Rs 15,263 crore restituted in FY-25. Nearly half of the FY-26 restitution (Rs 15,582 crore) came from a single major success in the PACL Ponzi scheme case.

The Enforcement Directorate derives its formidable authority from the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The law empowers the agency to define “proceeds of crime” broadly, conduct searches and seizures, arrest accused persons, and attach properties. Bail remains extremely difficult to secure since courts must be satisfied that the accused is not guilty and is unlikely to commit any offence while on bail. These provisions have enabled the ED to focus on depriving economic offenders of their ill-got gains rather than relying solely on custodial interrogation.

The Annual Report signals a maturing enforcement strategy. By leveraging technology and multi-source intelligence, the ED is filing stronger cases faster, reducing dependence on prolonged physical raids while maintaining high visibility through increased search operations. The focus on asset attachment and restitution aligns with the PMLA’s core objective of victim compensation and deterrence.

The agency has claimed that on the international front, cooperation has grown considerably. As of March 31, 2026, the ED had 353 pending Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) and Letters Rogatory (LR) requests, with the highest numbers directed to the UAE (69), Singapore (55), UK (39), Hong Kong (36), USA (26), Switzerland (23) and Mauritius (15). The ED received 246 such requests from foreign jurisdictions, led by the UK (79), Singapore (33) and 32 from the USA.

While the drop in arrests may invite scrutiny from critics who view it as a softening of enforcement, the agency’s data presents it as a sign of efficiency: fewer but stronger cases, quicker prosecutions, and record recovery of proceeds of crime for the benefit of victims and the exchequer.

With the ED marking significant milestones, including its 70th year of establishment in 2026, the annual report positions the ED as a bulwark in India’s fight against economic offences, terror financing and crypto-related frauds. The record restitution, especially in high-profile Ponzi schemes, is likely to boost public confidence in the system’s ability to deliver justice to ordinary investors and stakeholders.

The full annual report is available on the official ED website (enforcementdirectorate.gov.in). As the agency continues to refine its methods amid evolving challenges like digital currencies and cross-border laundering.