ED Attaches assets Worth Rs.79 Lakh Belonging To Accused Under Wildlife Act

Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth Rs.79.23 lakh including immovable properties of Rs.53.97 lakh and movable properties of Rs.25.26 lakh belonging to Umesh Aggarwal, his wife, D. Rajan, his wife, wife of Aji Bright and wife of Preeston Silva in a Forest Police case against Umesh Aggarwal and others.

ED initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of Occurrence Reports registered by the Edamalayar Forest Police Station and Karimpani Forest Police Station under Thundathil Forest Range of Kerala Police under section 27(1)(e) IV of the Kerala Forest Act, 1961 and Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 against Umesh Aggarwal, D. Rajan, Aji Bright and Preeston Silva and others for their involvement in multiple offences relating to the Wildlife Protection Act. e.g., trespassing into reserve forest, hunting of wild elephants and removing of tusk and illegal trading of ivory and ivory products during the year 2015.

The aforementioned accused earned Proceeds of Crime to the tune of Rs.79.23 lakh by committing offences under various provisions of the Kerala Forest Act, 1961 and Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which were scheduled offences under PMLA, 2002.

The accused persons’ Proceeds of Crime have been attached because they invested them in moveable and immovable properties.