The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached properties of crime worth over ₹69,000 crore in connection with its various money laundering investigations in the past four years, the Union government informed Parliament on Thursday.
The federal agency has also managed to extradite four fugitives to India since January 1, 2019, Union minister of state (MoS) for ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, Jitendra Singh, told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
“During the last four years (April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2023), the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) under the Department of Revenue has provisionally attached proceeds of crime amounting to ₹69,045.89 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA),” Singh said.
He was responding to a question from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Sushil Kumar Modi, who sought to know the total assets recovered from economic offenders and fugitives during the last four years.
The Rajya Sabha member from Bihar also sought to know the total assets attached under PMLA and the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act since 2014.
“During the period from January 1, 2014 to October 31, 2023, ED has provisionally attached proceeds of crime amounting to ₹1,16,792 crore and confiscated assets amounting to ₹16,637.21 crore under the PMLA,” Singh, who is also the MoS in Prime Minister’s Office, replied. “Further, assets amounting to ₹16,740.15 crore have been attached under Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, 2018 and assets amounting to ₹15,038.35 crore have been confiscated thereunder.”
On a separate query on the number of extradition of criminals and fugitives in the last four years, Singh said ED has extradited four persons since 2019. “Extradition orders in respect of three more persons have been passed by the Competent Courts,” he added.
During the monsoon session in August, the government had informed Parliament that 10 individuals had been declared as fugitive economic offenders since 2018. The list included names of Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Sandesara brothers Nitin and Chetan, and Chetan’s wife Dipti, among others.