ED attaches assets worth Rs 1,428 crore of Goldenland Group in chit fund case
Bhubaneswar, Apr 29 (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it has attached assets worth Rs 1,428 crore of Goldenland Group of Companies in a chit fund case.
In a statement, the ED claimed that its investigations have revealed persons, entities and companies associated with Golden Land Developers Ltd and GLP Developers Ltd illegally raised huge amounts of money from the public in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh in the garb of real estate development.
It had floated illegal financial businesses of lump sum deposits, recurring deposits, and monthly investment schemes, among others, in the guise of plot booking by alluring innocent people with the false promise of higher returns, the ED alleged.
"Large-scale diversion of cash to sister concerns and to the accounts of Directors and associates has also been unearthed," it alleged.
"Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Bhubaneswar Zonal Office has provisionally attached assets having present value of Rs. 1428 Crore of M/s Goldenland Group of Companies under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002," the statement said.
Among these assets are bank deposits of Rs 15.06 crore, and about 1,000 acre of land in various districts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, besides some constructed buildings and structures.
The ED had in February last year carried out searches at properties of people connected to these companies in Odisha, Punjab, Chandigarh.
The agency initiated the investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI under various sections of the IPC.
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India shouldn't play Pakistan even at ICC events till terrorism ends: Gautam Gambhir
New Delhi, May 6 (PTI): India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday called for a complete halt to cricketing engagements with Pakistan at any forum, including Asia Cup and ICC events, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
At an ABP event, Gambhir said the national team should not be playing the arch-rivals till cross-border terrorism ends.
India have not played a full series against Pakistan since 2007 due to the tense relations between both countries. They only play each other at multi-team events and even that should be discontinued, said Gambhir.
"My personal answer to this is absolutely no. Till all this (cross-border terrorism) doesn't stop there should not be anything between India and Pakistan," said Gambhir when asked about the future of Indo-Pak cricket in the current environment.
In a terror attack on April 22 in south Kashmir's Pahalgam town, 26 people, mostly tourists, were gunned down.
Responding to the gruesome incident, India announced several measures against Pakistan, including suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, shutting down of the only land border crossing at Attari and downgrading of diplomatic ties in view of cross-border links to the attack.
"Ultimately this is government's call whether we play them or not. I have said this before also, no cricket match or Bollywood or any other interaction is more important than the life of Indian soldiers and Indian citizens," Gambhir said.
"Matches will keep happening, movies will be made, singers will continue to perform but nothing comes close to losing a loved one in your family."
Asked specifically about India playing Pakistan in the Asia Cup this year or the T20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka next year, Gambhir placed the onus on the BCCI and the government.
"This is not up to me, this is for BCCI and more importantly the government to decide whether we should play them or not.
"Whatever decision they make, we should be absolutely fine with it and not politicise it."
In the recent Champions Trophy, India played all their games in Dubai and not host country Pakistan owing to security concerns.
As part of an agreement worked out between the BCCI, the Pakistan Cricket Board and the ICC, all India-Pakistan matches in ICC events will be played in a neutral country till the 2027 cycle.
