Probe Agency Attaches Rs 1.62 Crore Assets Of Kerala Ex-Bureaucrat

Properties and fixed deposits worth Rs 1.62 crore of a former Kerala cadre IAS officer have been attached under the anti-money laundering law in a case of alleged possession of disproportionate assets, the Enforcement Directorate said today.

A provisional order for attachment of the assets of the officer, T O Sooraj, has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the ED said in a statement.

The properties attached include vacant land located in Kerala, fixed deposits, bank balances and investment in shares, held in the name of the officer as well as in the name of his family members, the federal agency said.

Sooraj joined Kerala government service in 1980 as a ranger in the forest department and he was subsequently awarded the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1994, the statement said.

The money laundering case stems from a chargesheet filed by the Kerala vigilance and anti-corruption bureau which charged him for amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.

According to the ED, probe found that Sooraj had purchased several properties as well as vehicles in the name of his wife and children.

"Further, it was also found that he had purchased a vehicle as 'benami' in the name of his associate. T O Sooraj utilised the illegitimate money to acquire several properties in the name of his family members and associates," the agency said.

The ED has earlier too attached assets in the case and with the latest action, the figure stands at Rs 10.43 crore.

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