New Delhi, Jan 30 (UNI) The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) Bhopal Zonal Office said on Friday that it has attached immovable properties worth Rs 5 crore in a case involving the late Arvind Joshi, a former IAS officer and Principal Secretary to the Madhya Pradesh Government, among others.
The ED initiated investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on an FIR registered by the Special Police Establishment, Lokayukta, Bhopal. The FIR charged offences under Sections 13(1)(e) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (as amended), for amassing assets disproportionate to known sources of income—approximately Rs 41.87 crore—during the period from July 1979 to December 2010.
The PMLA investigation uncovered a structured placement and layering of illegal income through investments in several movable and immovable assets held in the names of family members. It also revealed the accumulation of Benami properties in the name of S.P. Kohli and his family. The accused had additionally opened a shell company and acquired properties in its name by appointing S.P. Kohli as its “Manager” and issuing a “Power of Attorney” in his favour.
Three Provisional Attachment Orders have already been issued in this case, with the total value of attached properties amounting to Rs 8.5 crore.
The properties now being attached include residential plots, agricultural lands, and a functional resort located in the Bhopal district. These assets, held in the names of the late Arvind Joshi, his family members, and his associate S.P. Kohli, have been identified as proceeds of crime.
