New Delhi, Jan 23: The Enforcement Directorate Thursday said it has conducted searches in a money laundering probe linked to alleged financial irregularities of more than Rs 7 crore in the erstwhile ‘Debutter Board’ of Assam’s revered Kamakhya Temple.
The raids were undertaken on Wednesday at the residential premises of Riju Prasad Sarma, former administrator of the now-defunct Kamakhya Debutter Board, late Dhiraj Sarma and Naba Kanta Sarma and some ex-officials of the board, the federal agency said in a statement.
The money laundering case stems from an FIR of Assam Police CID where it was alleged that funds of Rs 7.62 crore were “misappropriated” by the officials of the board (meant for the management of the Kamakhya Temple) between 2003-2019.
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A Supreme Court order led to the dissolution of the board in 2015.
The ED alleged that in order to “siphon” funds of the Ma Kamakhya Temple, located in Guwahati city, these ex-officials hired “shell entities” for supply of electrical goods, cement, cleaning chemicals, manpower and other services.
“The funds were then transferred to entities owned by the officials or taken out in cash.”
“Officials mischievously resorted to splitting of bills to keep the value (of the goods) under Rs 50,000 so as to be compliant of court direction forbidding expense of larger amounts without permission of the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup,” the agency said.
The ED said it seized insurance policies worth Rs 1.82 crore, in the name of the officials of the erstwhile board and their family members, during the raids.
Documents related to immovable properties and business entities of officials of the Board and their family members were also recovered apart from 27 bank accounts of related persons, it said. (PTI)
