Directorate Of Enforcement Attaches Properties Worth ₹39.91 Lakh Of Ex-IMC Staffer

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a disproportionate assets case involving Chetan Patil, a former employee of the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC), the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 39.91 lakh under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The action was carried out by the ED’s Indore-based Sub Zonal Office. According to official information released on Tuesday, the attachment was executed on Monday (February 2). The attached properties include a plot and a residential building registered in the names of Chetan Patil and his wife, Jyoti Patil.

The ED stated that the current market value of the attached properties exceeds Rs 80 lakh. The agency initiated the investigation based on an FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Indore, under Sections 7, 13(1)(b), and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018, which are scheduled offences under the PMLA.

The case pertains to allegations that Patil accumulated assets amounting to approximately Rs 1.38 crore during the period from October 1, 1998, to April 12, 2023, which were allegedly disproportionate to his known lawful income of Rs 55.11 lakh.

During the investigation, the ED found that the alleged proceeds of crime were routed through multiple bank accounts held in the name of Chetan Patil and a proprietorship firm, M/s Nagrodh Architect Engineers and Infrastructure, registered in the name of his wife.

According to the ED, the firm had no genuine business activity and was allegedly used to channel unexplained cash deposits and layer funds. The tainted money was further utilised for the purchase of immovable properties, repayment of housing loans, payment of LIC premiums, and other personal expenditures, indicating the placement, layering, and integration of proceeds of crime.

Further investigation in the matter is underway.