The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached a helicopter and over 100 land parcels totaling Rs 81 crore in Mumbai in connection with a money-laundering probe against realty firm Unitech Group, the agency said on Wednesday. It said a provisional order for attachment of these properties owned by Shivalik Group and its associates has been issued under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED said in a statement that the total value of the helicopters owned by King Rotors Air Charters Pvt Ltd and 101 land parcels located in Santacruz area of Mumbai is Rs 81.10 crore. The probe agency said the action has been taken “in connection with the investigation being conducted against the Unitech group”.
It said that the land plots are owned by the Shivalik Group, but the company that owns the chopper is its associate firm. The ED alleged that the investigation revealed that the Unitech group had transferred Rs 574 crore received from the crime to the Shivalik group and in return the entities of the Shivalik group purchased the said land parcels and helicopters from the proceeds of the crime. .
The Enforcement Directorate had earlier this year registered a criminal case against Unitech Group and its promoters under various sections of the PMLA, alleging that the owners – Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra – had illegally siphoned off Rs 2,000 crore. More were transferred to Cyprus and the Cayman Islands. The ED had registered the case against these promoters and the company after perusing certain FIRs filed by the Economic Offenses Wing (EOW) of Delhi Police, including an instance where they were allegedly involved in timely completion of a housing project in Gurgaon. had failed to complete. On March 4, the ED had raided 35 locations of Shivalik Group, Trikar Group, Unitech Group and Carnoustie Group in Mumbai and also in the National Capital Region.
It alleged, “The above-mentioned divergence of proceeds of offense has been revealed after the disclosure of various persons followed by analysis of the seized records.” The total attachment in this case is now Rs 431 crore as two similar orders were issued earlier. Seized assets worth Rs 349.82 crore.
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