Woman killed, husband found hanging in Kottayam
Kottayam (Kerala) (PTI): A 52-year-old woman was found murdered and her husband was found hanging at their residence in Pampady here on Monday, police said.
The deceased were identified as Sudhakaran (64) of Pampady and his wife Bindhu.
According to police, a neighbour noticed Sudhakaran hanging in a room of the house around noon and informed the couple’s elder son. After the son arrived, they entered the house and found Bindhu lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen, police said.
Bindhu was rushed to a hospital, but doctors declared her dead, police said.
Pampady police, who registered a case of unnatural death, suspect that Sudhakaran allegedly killed his wife before committing suicide.
Police said a preliminary probe was conducted to ascertain the involvement of any outsiders, but no such evidence has emerged so far.
The couple has three children and their statements will be recorded to find out whether there were any issues between the couple, police said.
The bodies will be handed over to relatives after post-mortem.
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ED attaches fresh PACL assets worth over Rs 1,986 crore
New Delhi (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has attached fresh properties worth over Rs 1,986 crore as part of its money laundering investigation against Chandigarh-based PACL (Pearls Group), accused of orchestrating a Rs 48,000 crore Ponzi scheme.
The latest action has taken the total value of assets attached so far in the case to Rs 7,589 crore.
In a statement, the agency said it has provisionally attached 37 immovable properties, located in Punjab's Ludhiana and Jaipur in Rajasthan, valued at Rs 1,986.48 crore, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
A part of the alleged illicit funds generated from this fraud was used for the acquisition of these 37 assets, it said.
The ED probe stems from a CBI case against PACL Ltd, its late promoter Nirmal Singh Bhangoo and some others.
Bhangoo died in August 2024.
The accused entities and individuals of PACL operated an "illegal" collective investment scheme, fraudulently mobilising over Rs 60,000 crore from lakhs of investors across India under the guise of sale and development of agricultural land, as per the ED.
Investors were induced to invest through cash down payment and instalment payment plans and were made to sign "misleading" documents, including agreements, powers of attorney, and other instruments, it said.
"In the majority of cases, no land was ever delivered, and approximately Rs 48,000 crore remains unpaid to investors," the agency said.
Three charge sheets have been filed by the ED till now as part of this case registered in 2016.
