ED starts parallel probe in loan forgery case in Bengal's Howrah

Kolkata, Oct 19 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has started a parallel probe in the loan forgery scam involving West Bengal businessman, Sailesh Pande and his two brothers Arvind Pande and Rohit Pande, prompted by the emergence of an illegal of foreign exchange transaction angle in the matter.

Earlier this week, the Kolkata Police conducted raid and search operations at the residences of Sailesh Pande and Arvind Pande at Shipbur in adjacent Howrah district and seized cash worth around Rs 8 crore along with huge quantity of diamond-studded gold ornaments. At the same time the city police also froze deposits worth Rs 20 crore from two bank accounts held by Sailesh Pande. All the three Pande brothers are currently absconding and a lookout notice has been issued against them.

Now, the ED involvement comes in wake of some foreign exchange transactions in the two accounts held by Saliesh Pande with an organisation named TP Global FX, which figures in the list of 34 entities involved in forex transactions on unauthorised electronic trading platforms that were put on alert list of entities by the Reserve Bank of India.

As per initial estimates, transactions worth Rs 77 crore were made from these two accounts held by Sailesh Pande.

Sailesh Pande claimed to be a chartered accountant and was involved in defrauding people promising them clearance of loan proposals.