Dino Morea's assets worth Rs 1.4 crore were attached by the ED in the Sandesara bank fraud case.
Highlights
- Assets worth crores of Dino Morea, DJ Aqeel, Irfan Siddiqui attached
- Enforcement Directorate says they got money from Sandesara brothers
- Sandesara brothers accused of Rs 14,500-crore bank fraud
Assets worth crores of actor Dino Morea, late Congress leader Ahmed Patel's son-in-law and DJ Aqeel Abdul Khalik Bachoo Ali have been seized in a case linked to the Rs 14,500-crore bank loan fraud by Gujarat-based businessman Sandesara brothers.
According to the Enforcement Directorate, which investigates financial crimes, a money-laundering probe in the case led to the discovery of transactions between the Sandesaras and Irfan Siddiqui, Dino Morea and DJ Aqeel.
The investigations revealed that DJ Aqeel received Rs 12.54 crore from the Sandesaras, Irfan Siddiqui got Rs 3.51 crore and Dino Morea Rs 1.4 crore, they said.
Those transactions are considered proceeds of crime, the ED said, adding that assets worth Rs 2.41 crore of Irfan Siddiqui, Rs 1.98 crore of DJ Aqeel, and Rs 1.4 crore of Dino Morea have been attached.
"Out of Rs 16,000 crore considered as proceeds of crime in the Sandesaras case, assets worth Rs 14,521 crore have been attached so far," an ED official said.
The case involves a Rs 14,500 crore bank loan fraud allegedly by Sterling Biotech and its main promoters and directors - Nitin Jayantilal Sandesara, Chetankumar Jayantilal Sandesara and Deepti Sandesara - all of whom are missing.
Nitin and Chetankumar are brothers and fled India in 2017 along with others and are believed to be in Nigeria with authorities trying to extradite them.
Investigators allege this is a bigger bank scam in volume than the Punjab National Bank fraud involving jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.
The Sandesaras are also facing separate inquiries by the CBI and the Income Tax Department for their alleged nexus with high-profile politicians and charges of corruption and tax evasion.
The ED registered a criminal case in connection with the alleged bank loan fraud on the basis of an FIR and a charge sheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
Until his death last year, Congress leader Ahmed Patel was questioned several times by the Enforcement Directorate over his alleged links with the Sandesara brothers.