Money Laundering Case: Delhi Court Extends Custody Of Accused Impersonating As Close Aid Of Politicians

A Delhi Court recently granted a four-day extension to the custodial interrogation of an individual who was arrested in a money-laundering case.

The case involves allegations of cheating people out of crores of rupees by falsely presenting himself as having close connections to politicians, ministers, and even the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Special Judge Shailender Malik ordered the accused, Sanjay Prakash Rai, to remain in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) until June 13, 2023.

“Having considered the submissions at bar and having gone through the averments of remand papers, as noted above, the accused was given earlier for seven days’ police custody with ED. Taking into consideration the steps taken during this period of police custody and the grounds for which police remand is sought, without commenting much on the merits of the matter as the investigation is at initial stages, four days’ more police remand of the accused is given with the ED,” the judge stated.

The recent extension of custodial interrogation for accused Sanjay Prakash Rai in a money-laundering case was ordered by the court in response to an application filed by the federal agency. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought an additional seven days of custody for Rai.

Rai is accused of falsely presenting himself as being closely associated with prominent politicians, ministers, and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). He allegedly received a donation of Rs 6 crore from the Dalmia Family Office Trust, which was deposited in a bank account.

During the court proceedings, the ED emphasized that the investigation was ongoing and that it was crucial to confront the accused with relevant documents and evidence in the case.

Special Public Prosecutor N K Matta, representing the ED alongside advocate Faizan Khan, also disclosed that Rs 7 crore had been recovered. This amount was purportedly received by the accused from undisclosed sources and was subsequently channeled into different accounts with the intention of laundering the funds.

The ED initiated the case based on an FIR filed in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Rai was apprehended by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) on 7^th June, 2023, in connection with a forgery case.

Allegedly, Rai and his associates forged documents referring to the PMO and collected crores of rupees from multiple sources, including individuals and organizations.