Journalist Upendra Rai’s flat and deposits seized in money laundering case

The investigating agency had seized assets worth Rs 26.65 crore in this case in 2018.

New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday said it has attached a Noida flat and fixed and bank deposits worth Rs 2.18 crore in a 2018 money-laundering case against journalist Upendra Rai and some others.

Mr Rai, CMD and editor-in-chief of Hindi news channel Bharat Express, denied the allegations made against him and said he was “deeply shocked and concerned” by the contents of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) press release.

A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach these properties.

“The immovable assets are in the form of flats owned by accused Upendra Rai located in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and the movable assets are in the form of fixed deposits (FDs) and savings account balances,” the federal agency said in a statement.

According to the ED, the money laundering case against Mr Rai is related to two FIRs of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Mr Rai said, “I have challenged these prosecutions (of the CBI and ED) and the allegations made therein and I am hopeful that the honorable courts will not find any merit in these allegations.” “There are no proceeds of crime in this,” he claimed. “The instant case and the attachment as well as the prosecution filed by the ED have no validity in the eyes of law,” it said.

The ED’s press release was made only to “prejudicially impact my case and run a media trial”, which is unjustified in law, he said.

Mr Rai also said that the flats attached in the latest order “do not belong to me or my family members”.

The journalist was first arrested by the CBI and later by the ED in May 2018. Later he got bail.

The ED investigation found that Mr. Rai, his brother Narendra Rai and other associates were “involved in extorting money from various persons/entities by threatening action of investigating agencies.”

“The money so recovered was received in the form of cash/kind in various bank accounts under the garb of consultancy services. The total money recovered as proceeds of crime in the case is Rs 52.55 crore,” the agency alleged.

The agency had seized assets worth Rs 26.65 crore in the case in 2018 and filed two chargesheets that year. The agency said the total value of assets under current attachment is Rs 2.18 crore.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)