Satyendra Jain's residential premises raided by Enforcement Directorate in Delhi, other locations

Satyendra Jain, who was arrested on May 30 under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, is under Enforcement Directorate custody till June 9.

Image courtesy: ANI file pic

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate on Monday (June 6) conducted raids against arrested Delhi minister Satyendar Jain as part of a money-laundering probe against him, said a report. The raids, including that at the residential premises of Jain in Delhi and certain other locations, are being conducted as part of a "follow up" in the case, officials told PTI. 

Satyendra Jain, 57, who was arrested on May 30 under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, is under Enforcement Directorate custody till June 9. 

Notably, the ED searches are on at the residence of Delhi`s Health and Home Minister Satyendar Jain in connection with hawala transactions related to a Kolkata-based company. The move comes days after the central probe agency arrested Jain on May 30. 

Jain was arrested after the ED in April this year attached immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore owned by companies named Akinchan Developers Pvt. Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in connection with disproportionate asset and money laundering case registered Jain, his wife Poonam Jain, and others.

The ED had registered a criminal case against the AAP leader based on this FIR which was lodged by the CBI in which it had been alleged that Jain could not explain the source of funds received by four companies in which he was a shareholder.

Jain, who had reportedly floated or bought several shell companies in Delhi, also laundered black money worth Rs 16.39 crore through 54 shell companies of three hawala operators of Kolkata. Reports say he also owned a large number of shares in companies named Prayas, Indo, and Akinchan. After becoming Minister, all his shares were transferred to his wife in 2015, as per reports.

These companies used to transfer cash payments to their Kolkata counterparts and later under the ruse of buying shares, would route back the money to Jain by employing legal means. The companies have reportedly laundered money to the tune of Rs 16.39 crores from 2010 to 2014 to Satyendra Jain.

As per government sources, when prosecuted by the I-T Department, Jain surrendered black money in form of cash of Rs 16.39 crore under Income Disclosure Scheme (IDS) 2016 on Benami names of Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain.

In November 2019, the Home Ministry approved the prosecution of Delhi minister Satyendra Jain in cases related to disproportionate assets and money laundering. Besides, Home and Health, Jain holds Power and PWD, among other portfolios, in the AAP-led Delhi government.

(With Agency Inputs)