New Delhi: Tightening its noose on Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in connection with a money laundering probe, the Enforcement Directorate said on Tuesday that it had attached assets worth Rs 4.81 crore of the family and companies "beneficially owned and controlled" by the AAP leader.
Satyendar Jain is the Arvind Kejriwal-led government's minister for health, power, home, PWD, industries, urban development, flood, irrigation, and water.
In connection with the case, the ED questioned the AAP MLA from Shakur Basti in 2018, PTI reported.
The Enforcement Directorate said in a statement that it had issued a preliminary order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for the attachment of the assets.
"The attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belong to Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd., Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd., Manglayatan Projects Pvt. Ltd., J.J. Ideal Estate Pvt. Ltd., Swati Jain, wife of Vaibhav Jain, Sushila Jain, wife of Ajit Prasad Jain, and Indu Jain, wife of Sunil Jain," the statement said.
During investigation, the ED found that "between 2015-16, when Satyendar Kumar Jain was a public servant, the companies beneficially owned and controlled by him received accommodation entries to the tune of Rs 4.81 crore from shell companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through the hawala route".
"These amounts were utilised for direct purchase of land or for repayment of loan taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi," ED mentioned in the statement.
The ED case of money laundering against the AAP minister stems from an August 2017 FIR by the CBI against him and others on charges of alleged possession of disproportionate assets.
In February, Arvind Kejriwal said he had learned from sources that the ED planned to arrest Satyendar Jain before the Punjab assembly election, and accused the Centre of targeting the Aam Aadmi Party after realising the BJP "would lose" the polls.
The AAP won the Punjab assembly election in March and formed its first government in the border state led by Bhagwant Mann.
(With PTI Inputs)