Guwahati, Dec. 18: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Guwahati Zonal Office, has attached assets worth Rs 2.40 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, during investigation related to a disproportionate assets case against a former engineer of Oil India Ltd (OIL), Duliajan in Assam’s Dibrugarh district.
According to an official statement, the enforcement directorate attached 67 LIC policies amounting to Rs 1.96 crore and an RCC residential structure and covered garage amounting to Rs 43.99 lakh under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in an investigation related to a disproportionate assets case against Karun Jyoti Baruah, a former superintendent engineer (civil) of OIL, Duliajan.
Notably, the ED had initiated the investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI, ACB, Guwahati against Baruah under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
“The chargesheet filed by CBI, ACB, Guwahati disclosed that during the check period from April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2019, he (Baruah) possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, to the tune of Rs 2.39 crore,” the statement issued by the directorate said.
Financial investigations by ED revealed that Baruah purchased 44 LIC policies amounting to approximately Rs 62.84 lakh in cash in order to hide any money trail, either in his name or in the name of his family members, who did not have corresponding income.
“A large number of other LIC policies were also purchased by him through banking channels but he could not explain how such a huge number of purchases could have been reasonably done by him from his known sources of income,” the statement said.
“He (Baruah) had also constructed an RCC residential structure with a covered garage during the check period, amounting to Rs 43.99 Lakh (approximately) from the proceeds of crime (POC). Further investigation is under progress,” it added.
