ED Assistant Director Sandeep Singh Booked Under PMLA, Search Operation Underway, Says Agency

Enforcement Directorate booked Sandeep Singh in consequence of his arrest and FIR filed by the CBI.

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday registered a case against Sandeep Singh, Assistant Director, ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The agency also conducted a search operation at his house, which is currently underway. Further investigation into the matter is underway.

The action was in consequence of FIR and arrest of Sandeep Singh by CBI, ED said in its statement. Sandeep Singh was arrested by the CBI Mumbai in New Delhi on August 7 for allegedly extorting Rs 20 lakhs from an individual, who wsa being investigated by the ED. The money, which is said to be a bribe to favour the person in the ED case, was recovered from him when he was nabbed.

Taking immediate cognisance of this incident and given its policy of zero tolerance towards corruption, ED took criminal action against Singh under the PMLA.

The agency registered an Enforcement Case Information Report against him, following which the search operation is being conducted at his residence under the provisions of PMLA, seeking to gather evidences of his criminal activities.

A joint search operation was also conducted at his office by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation to collect evidences related to the offence.

In addition to PMLA case, action has also been initiated to suspend him immediately and to repatriate him to his parent department from ED.
 
During investigation it was found that Singh, acting as the "Search Warrant Authorized Officer" had conducted the search at the residential premises in Mumbai of an individual named Vipul, who is under ED's investigation.

Vipul Thakkar is the owner of M/s V S Gold, an entity which was suspected to be involved in money laundering.

The search was uneventful and conducted on August 4 as per the due procedure. But Singh was not the investigating officer of this particular ECIR and was requested to search the target premises. However, he represented himself as an investigating officer and allegedly accpeted the bribe in return for favouring the accused, despite the fact that he was not connected with the case in any way.