ED arrests 2 of its contractual staffers, another man for 'leaking sensitive info' in PMLA case in Mumbai
The Hindu
The Enforcement Directorate said it has arrested two of its contractual staffers at its Mumbai office and a “close associate” of an arrested former chairman of a Maharashtra-based cooperative bank for allegedly sharing “sensitive” probe information in lieu of a bribe
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 25 said it has arrested two of its contractual staffers at its Mumbai office and a "close associate" of an arrested former chairman of a Maharashtra-based cooperative bank for allegedly sharing "sensitive" probe information in lieu of a bribe.
The investigation pertains to a money-laundering probe against Amar Mulchandani, a former chairman of the Seva Vikas Cooperative Bank.
The Maharashtra Police arrested Mulchandani and five of his family members for "obstructing" an ED raid against the former on January 27 and alleged destruction of evidence.
"During the course of the investigation, it was observed that a person was frequently lurking around the ED office premises (in Mumbai). He was intercepted and it was found that he was Bablu Sonkar (an employee of Amar Mulchandani) and that he was tasked by the Mulchandani family to threaten the witnesses and pass on bribe amounts to a data-entry operator and a contingent staff working in the ED office in lieu of sensitive information," the Federal Agency said in a statement.
The amounts "paid" have been recovered, it added.
"Incriminating" documents have been recovered from the possession of Sonkar and the contractual staff of the ED have admitted that they were passing sensitive information to him, the agency said.
Hence, they have been arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.