The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Neeharika Singh, her husband Ajit Kumar Gupta, and several associated companies in connection with a ₹110-crore investment fraud and money laundering case.
The chargesheet, submitted on September 2, was acknowledged by a special court in Lucknow on November 25, as per an ED statement released on Wednesday. The accused include Singh, Gupta, and three firms—Anee Bullion and Industries Pvt. Ltd., Anee Commodity Brokers Pvt. Ltd., and Anee Securities Pvt. Ltd.—charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The investigation was initiated after the ED acted upon 33 FIRs lodged by Uttar Pradesh Police against Gupta and others for allegedly cheating investors through fraudulent schemes between February and October 2020. These cases, involving financial fraud worth ₹110 crore, led to the filing of 25 police chargesheets in 12 related cases.
According to the ED, Gupta enticed investors with lucrative schemes offering annual returns of up to 40% through his proprietorship firm, Anee Bullion Trader. These included daily deposit, recurring deposit, and fixed deposit schemes. When these promises failed, Gupta allegedly shifted to collecting investments through Eye Vision Credit Co-operative Society Ltd., run by his associates, under new schemes. Ultimately, investors were cheated out of ₹60 crore.
The ED revealed that the proceeds of the fraud were layered through various companies in the Anee Group and used to acquire properties, including houses and agricultural land, in the names of Gupta, Singh, and others. Earlier, the agency had attached assets worth over ₹9 crore in this case.
Singh, who was questioned during the investigation, was last reported to be posted with the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi.
