ED attaches Rs 10 crore assets of Bengaluru-based firm in alleged ponzi scam case
New Delhi, Dec 13: Assets worth over Rs 10 crore of a Bengaluru-based firm have been attached under the anti-money laundering law in connection with an alleged 'Islamic banking or halal investment' ponzi scam case, the ED said on Friday.
The accused firm is Ambidant Marketing Pvt Ltd and its promoters and the case of alleged duping of a number of gullible investors had made headlines last year in Karnataka.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said in a statement the case pertains to allegations that the accused firm and its promoters were collecting investments from customers under various plans and Haj/Umrah plan in the name of 'Islamic banking or halal investment' and offering huge returns to the extent of up to 15 per cent per month.
The company was not authorised to collect such funds as it was neither registered with RBI nor with the SEBI under their collective investment scheme, it said.
"The company sold their plans in the form of partnership business with promise of high returns. Initially, to win the trust, it was ensured that customers get back their first instalment as promised," the ED alleged.
The company had hired agents who would convince investors to invest in the plan by giving these agents a heavy commission, it said.
"The company earned the trust of gullible investors and they were lured to invest even more but later returning the money including the principal amount was stopped," the federal probe agency said.
Initially, the company shared profits to the existing investors out of funds obtained from its new investors, the ED added.
"The attached immovable properties are in the form of land and residential flats in various part of Bengaluru. The value of immovable properties attached is Rs 8.8 crore while movable properties totalling Rs 1.4 crore have been attached,"it said.
The total value of the attached assets, as part of a provisional order issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), is Rs 10.2 crore.
The federal probe agency had taken over investigation in the case on the basis of a Bengaluru Police FIR and a charge sheet filed by it in February this year.
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Hearing in defamation case against Rahul Gandhi postponed till March 27
Sultanpur (UP) (PTI): Hearing in the defamation case involving Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, which was scheduled to take place on Monday at the MP-MLA Court in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur district, could not take place due to the non-appearance of the plaintiff Vijay Mishra.
The court will now hear this matter on March 27.
Santosh Kumar Pandey, the advocate of the plaintiff, on Monday said that he had submitted a formal application to the court during the previous hearing.
This application requested that the audio and video recordings of the statements made by Rahul Gandhi, which have been presented as evidence, be matched with Rahul Gandhi's authentic voice.
Due to Vijay Mishra's absence, the court has scheduled the next hearing for March 27, when the arguments in the case will be presented.
On February 20, Gandhi, the MP from Raebareli, had appeared before the court and recorded his statement, claiming the case was filed against him due to political vendetta. He had also told the court that the audio and video evidence submitted by the complainant was incorrect and said he would present his own evidence.
The case stems from Gandhi's alleged objectionable remarks against then BJP president Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka election campaign.
Following the remarks, Mishra, a resident of Hanumanganj under Kotwali Dehat police station area in Sultanpur, filed the defamation complaint.
In December 2023, the court had issued a warrant against Gandhi after he failed to appear before it. He later surrendered before the court in February 2024 and was granted bail on two surety bonds of Rs 25,000 each.
