ED Files PMLA Case Against Odisha Engineer and his Wife

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has filed a PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) case against a junior engineer in the Rural Development Department of Odisha and his wife. The agency is seeking the conviction of the accused individuals and the confiscation of properties valued at Rs. 1.16 crore, according to officials.

On October 30, the case was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) against Basanta Kumar Bastia and his wife Rina Bastia in the Court of the Sessions Judge, Khurda, at Bhubaneswar, which also serves as the Special Court (PMLA). The agency issued an official statement specifying its request for the conviction of the accused and the seizure of properties worth Rs. 1.16 crore.

The Special Court acknowledged the prosecution complaint on November 2 and directed the issuance of summons to the accused parties.

The ED’s investigation commenced based on an FIR filed by the Cuttack Division’s vigilance unit, which invoked various sections of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 against Basanta Kumar Bastia and Rina Bastia due to their possession of disproportionate assets.

The ED’s investigation unveiled that Basanta Kumar Bastia had invested his allegedly unlawfully acquired income, which exceeded his known sources of income, in acquiring various immovable properties and making bank investments in both his name and that of his wife. His wife actively facilitated the acquisition of these properties without a legitimate source of income.

In August 2023, the ED had previously attached assets amounting to Rs. 1.16 crore through a provisional attachment order. These attached properties encompass eight parcels of land valued at Rs. 1.02 crore, located across the districts of Khurda and Cuttack.