ED freezes 119 bank accounts, luxury vehicles after raids on Patna realty group

New Delhi, Apr 20 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized 119 bank accounts, two luxury vehicles and some insurance policies under the anti-money laundering law after it raided the promoters of a Bihar-based real estate company that is alleged to have duped numerous home buyers.

The searches were launched on April 18 at about eight locations of the company called Agrani Homes Pvt. Ltd, its CMD Alok Kumar Singh, Vijaya Raj Laxmi, Alka Singh, Rana Ranveer Singh along with those of a “key employee” Satvik Singh and Chartered Accountant Nishat Shrivastava in Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow and Delhi, the agency said in a statement.

“Agrani group of companies and its director have cheated the prospective home buyers and illegally diverted their deposits/investment for acquiring properties in their personal name or in the name of other companies,” the ED alleged.

The money laundering case against the company and its promoters, filed under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), stems from at least eight FIRs filed by the Bihar Police.

Further, the ED said, more than 73 complaints against Agrani Homes Pvt Ltd, Patna, CMD Singh and others were received by it where it was mentioned that the said company “cheated” prospective home buyers of a sum of Rs 9.73 crore.

Sale deeds of properties purchased by Alok Kumar Singh in his name and in the name of his company were seized during the raids apart from 119 bank accounts,
four insurance policies and two luxury vehicles (in the name of Agrani Homes Pvt. Ltd. and its directors), the ED said.