New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday attached fresh assets worth Rs 5 crore in its ongoing money laundering investigation against the late Madhya Pradesh cadre IAS officer Arvind Joshi. The attached properties include residential and agricultural lands as well as a resort in Bhopal, identified as proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Background of the Case
Arvind Joshi, a former Principal Secretary-rank officer, passed away in 2022 at the age of 68. He and his former IAS wife, Tinoo Joshi, both from the 1979 IAS batch, have been under investigation for over eight years for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets (DA) worth Rs 41.87 crore.
The couple first came under scrutiny after a February 2010 Income Tax raid on their Bhopal residence uncovered Rs 3 crore in cash, triggering federal investigations into tax evasion and illegal asset accumulation.
Details of the Asset Attachment
According to the ED, the provisional attachment order covers:
- Residential plots in Bhopal district
- Agricultural lands
- A functional resort
The attached properties are allegedly registered in the names of Joshi, his family members, and a benami associate, S P Kohli. The agency described these assets as “proceeds of crime.”
This action follows earlier measures where the ED had attached other properties and filed a chargesheet against the Joshi couple under the PMLA.
Allegations and Previous Proceedings
The investigation traces back to a Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta FIR, which alleged that the Joshi couple’s assets were 3,151.32% higher than their declared sources of income for the period July 1979 to December 2010.
Both officers were dismissed from service in 2014 following the findings of disproportionate assets.
The ED continues to probe the case to recover assets considered to have been acquired through money laundering and illegal financial practices.
