ED Attaches Rs 1.52 Crore Assets in Odisha Mining Case

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has attached assets worth Rs 1.52 crore belonging to Basanta Kumar Das under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with an illegal mining case in Odisha. The investigation is based on charges from 2005-2009 and further probes are ongoing.

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 1.52 crore belonging to Basanta Kumar Das, as per the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Das is connected with illegal mining activities at Odisha's Kasiabeda Iron Ore Mines, according to an official press release.

The Bhubaneswar Zonal Office of the ED confirmed that Basanta Kumar Das, who holds a mining lease for the Kasiabeda Iron Ore Mines and owns M/s Das Bhai Minerals, is under investigation. The action follows an FIR and charge-sheet filed by the Vigilance Department of Odisha Police, covering illegal mining activities between 2005 and 2009.

Additionally, the ED revealed that Anand Kumar Agarwal, Director of M/s Siddharth Sponge & Power Pvt. Ltd., was previously arrested for his involvement in the illicit mining operations in collaboration with Das. The investigative agency also conducted search operations under section 17 of the PMLA, 2002. Further investigation into the case continues.

(With inputs from agencies.)