Agartala, Aug 2: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached bank deposits worth Rs 1.12 crore linked to an alleged conman, suspended Tripura cadre IAS officer Abhishek Chandra and a private housing company as part of a money laundering investigation, the agency said on Friday.
The ED said the provisional attachment order was issued on July 31 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
According to the agency, the attached assets comprise bank balances held in the names of shell entities allegedly controlled by Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, suspended IAS officer Chandra and a private housing company.
The investigation centres on allegations that Chowdhury cheated businessmen and investors by falsely claiming to have close connections with senior government officials posted in Tripura.
The ED alleged that Chowdhury impersonated a senior official of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and used forged identity cards to support the deception. It further claimed that he incorporated firms with names resembling government departments and public sector undertakings, including entities similar to the Directorate of Higher Education, Tripura, and Bridge & Roof Co.
According to the agency, Chowdhury also fraudulently took control of a registered trust, Chaltakhali Swamiji Seva Sangha, and used it along with other entities to lure businessmen and investors with false promises of government contracts and commercial opportunities.
The alleged fraud involved offers relating to government tenders, mid-day meal supply contracts and profits from the rubber business, with investors reportedly transferring several crore rupees to bank accounts linked to the entities.
The ED alleged that Chandra received proceeds of crime generated through the scheme, both directly into his personal bank accounts and indirectly through payments made by entities associated with Chowdhury.
The agency further claimed that part of the money was paid to a private housing company towards the booking of a flat in Chandra’s name.
The ED had carried out searches in the case in August 2025, during which it said fake seals and forged identity documents purportedly linked to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Tripura government and certain public sector undertakings were recovered.
Chowdhury was subsequently arrested by the state police and is currently lodged in a jail in Haryana.
The money laundering investigation stems from multiple FIRs registered in Tripura and West Bengal against Chowdhury and others.
