New Delhi — The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has attached two properties worth nearly Rs 98 lakh in Bihar and Jharkhand in connection with a Rs 5.4 crore fraud linked to misuse of accounts belonging to deceased and inactive pensioners.
The action was taken by the Ranchi Zonal Office under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The attached assets belong to Manoj Kumar, a former branch manager of the State Bank of India (SBI), and include a house in Sahebganj, Jharkhand, and a flat in Patna, Bihar, registered in his and his family members’ names.
According to the ED, the probe was launched based on several FIRs and charge sheets filed by the CBI and local police. Investigators found that Kumar allegedly misused his position while posted at different SBI branches, including Sahebganj and Shikaripara, to carry out fraudulent transactions.
The fraud involved unauthorised withdrawals from accounts of deceased or inactive pensioners and Kisan Credit Card (KCC) holders. The siphoned money was routed through multiple bank accounts, NGOs, and shell entities to conceal its origin, with total proceeds of crime estimated at Rs 5.4 crore.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary recently informed that special PMLA courts have convicted 124 accused in 56 out of 59 ED cases between April 2021 and February 2026. During this period, the agency registered 4,377 ECIRs and arrested 903 individuals under the law.
With inputs from IANS