Demonetisation: ED questions Delhi lawyer Rohit Tandon in money laundering case

New Delhi After arresting a Kolkata-based businessman, the Enforcement Directorate has begun questioning Delhi-based lawyer Rohit Tandon in its money laundering probe in two high-profile black money cases of illegal conversion of old notes in the wake of demonetisation.

Officials said the agency, for the second day today, recorded the statement of Tandon under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and confronted him with documents seized by the agency against him.

Tandon's case pertains to an operation of the Delhi Police and the I-T department, early this month, where the agencies had seized Rs 13.6 crore from a law firm he is associated with.

Phone calls made and emails sent by PTI to Tandon's law firm T and T Law elicited no response.

The lawyer, before this operation, was separately searched by the I-T department where it was said that he declared undisclosed income worth over Rs 125 crore.

ED sources indicated that Tandon will soon be questioned along with Kolkata-based businessman Paras Mal Lodha, whom the agency arrested in this case on Wednesday.

Lodha (62) was arrested by the agency in "connection with the recovery of large amount in new currency notes from a company belonging to Advocate Rohit Tandon of T and T law firm (in Delhi) and J Shekhar Reddy of Chennai".

The agency has sent two phones, allegedly seized from Lodha, for forensic examination as it contained details of some conversations that the investigators could give them leads.

The Reddy case pertains to Chennai where the Income Tax department has made the biggest detection of unaccounted income of over Rs 142 crore.

These two cases, involving Tandon and Reddy, are being probed by at least four lead agencies of the country including the ED, I-T department, CBI and Delhi Police.

Officials said the multiple agencies working on these two cases, involving high-profile individuals, are joining dots of the investigations to prepare a water tight case against those who have either hoarded or generated black funds after the government scrapped high value notes on November 8.