New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday attached assets valued at Rs 7.85 crore of former nursing tutor Mahesh Chand Sharma and his family in connection with a money-laundering probe.
According to ED officials, the properties were attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The attached assets include agricultural land in the districts of Jaipur, Tonk and Karauli and 31 plots/houses at various locations in Jaipur.
The ED had registered a case on the basis of an FIR and charge sheet filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Jaipur, against Sharma and others.
According to the ED, Sharma worked in the Health and Medical Department of the Rajasthan government as a Nursing Tutor (Nursing Grade- 2), College of Nursing, SMS Medical College. He was also a member of the Indian Nursing Council (INC), New Delhi.
The ED claimed that Sharma along with his accomplice was trapped by ACB, Jaipur for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from a nursing institute for including its name (which was deleted earlier) on the INC website.
Later, ACB investigation established that the accused had amassed assets totalling Rs 10.6 crore, which was 372 per cent more than his known sources of income.
“During the money laundering probe, it was revealed that Sharma had accumulated a huge amount of money by resorting to corrupt practices and misusing his official position and used the said money to purchase agricultural land, residential flat and plots in his name and those of his wife, son, company and trust,” the ED said.
“PMLA investigation identified two transactions of total Rs 4 crore for acquiring properties — Rs 2.25 crore paid to buy land with building or house and three shops at Mansarovar in Jaipur; and Rs 1.75 crore paid to buy 22 plots in a residential society at Jaipur totalling 5,133.26 square metres.
The ED claimed that these assets were not included in the charge sheets filed by ACB for the calculation of disproportionate assets.
The ED said that Sharma illegally earned over Rs 14.6 crore. Earlier, the ED had attached properties worth Rs 4.75 crore of Sharma. Till date, the ED has attached properties worth Rs 12.60 crore in the case.
