THEDirectorate of Enforcement (ED), Bhopal Zonal Office, has issued a provisional attachment order seizing assets worth approximately Rs 22.46 crore. The attached properties comprise a prominent cricket academy and related infrastructure, including hotels and resorts, along with the underlying land situated at Semri Bajyafat village in Bhopal. The enforcement agency executed the attachment order under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, targeting properties linked to late Arvind Joshi and others. Money laundering probe stems from disproportionate assets FIR: The federal probe agency initiated its investigation based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Special Police Establishment, Lokayukta, Bhopal. The criminal case was registered against late Arvind Joshi and Tinoo Joshi, both former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers of the Madhya Pradesh cadre, for the possession of movable and immovable assets worth approximately Rs 41.87 crore, which were highly disproportionate to their known sources of income.

 

Widespread complaints, evidence, and official intelligence indicated that the civil servants had systematically abused their official positions to indulge in corrupt practices, accumulating vast proceeds of crime under the names of family members and close associates. Benami entities and layered transactions used to mask illicit wealth: Subsequent financial investigations established that the accused utilised Benami entities, sham agreements, and complex layered transactions to conceal the beneficial ownership of the tainted assets and project them as untainted. The probe further revealed that the operational affairs of Faith Cricket Club were actively managed by late Arvind Joshi. The substantial investments channelled into the construction of the cricket academy and its allied hospitality infrastructure were financed entirely from his illicit wealth through an associate, Raghvendra Singh Tomar. Federal agency targets remaining proceeds of crime: This latest action marks a significant escalation in the ongoing investigation, as the federal agency had previously attached assets worth approximately Rs 13.60 crore in connection with this case. The agency has also filed formal prosecution complaints before the Special PMLA Court in Bhopal to advance the trial.