ED attaches Rs 2.19 cr of Chandigarh businessman in PMLA case

New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Thursday that it has provisionally attached cash to the tune of Rs 2.19 crore belonging to Inderpal Mahajan, a clothes merchant, and others in connection with a PMLA case pertaining to exchange of old currency with new ones during demonetisation.

Initially, a case against Mahajan and others was lodged by the Chandigarh Police under Sections 120-B and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for alleged illegal exchange of demonetised Indian currency to newly introduced currency during the period of demonetisation.

The ED initiated a money laundering investigation against Mahajan and others on the basis of the FIR registered by the Chandigarh police.

During the investigation, the ED learnt that cash worth Rs 2.19 crore, which included partly exchanged new currency, was acquired by the accused through unexplained sources and was thus proceeds of crime.

"Accordingly, the said amount of Rs 2.19 Crore has been provisionally attached under PMLA," said an ED official.

The official said that Mahajan was interrogated at length, but he couldn't produce any document to show that the money was not tainted. Also, he failed to give any satisfactory answer to the probe agency.