GUWAHATI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth around Rs 3.50 crore in a money laundering investigation linked to a bribery case involving late Ranjit Kumar Borah, former Deputy Chief Electrical Engineer (Construction) of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) at Maligaon.
According to the ED, the attached assets comprise a residential flat in Patna, Bihar, valued at around Rs 3.28 crore, and a term deposit of approximately Rs 21.24 lakh with Canara Bank in the name of Sonal Jain.
The agency initiated the money laundering investigation following an FIR registered by the CBI Anti-Corruption Branch-I in New Delhi against Borah and others. The CBI case related to allegations that illegal gratification was demanded and accepted from private railway contractors in return for allegedly extending undue favours in the award and execution of NFR contracts.
The CBI had intercepted the alleged delivery of bribe money on December 14, 2021, after which the accused were arrested. A charge sheet was subsequently filed in 2022.
During its investigation, the ED alleged that Borah demanded and accepted bribes from Chintan Jain and Nayan Chandra Jain, associated with railway contractor firm M/s Sunshine, and that the alleged proceeds were subsequently parked with them.
The agency alleged that the proceeds of crime were used to purchase a flat at Platinum Towers in Gurugram, Haryana, in the name of M/s Sunshine. The property was later sold in 2024 for around Rs 3.50 crore.
According to the ED, the sale proceeds were routed through the bank accounts of M/s Sunshine, Chintan Jain and his wife, Sonal Jain. The funds were subsequently allegedly used to repay home loans taken for the Patna flat and create fixed deposits in Sonal Jain’s name.
Borah died on September 6, 2024, while the investigation was underway.
The ED said the properties were attached against the alleged proceeds of crime and tainted assets under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), and were therefore attached in the hands of their present holder.
Further investigation is underway.
