ED attaches assets worth ₹5.6cr of Virbhadra’s family
: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday attached assets worth ₹5.6 crore in connection with its money laundering probe against Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and his family, a day after the Election Commission announced dates for the forthcoming assembly polls in the state.
The central probe agency said the assets, both movable and immovable, are in the name of the chief minister’s son Vikramaditya Singh, daughter Aprajita Singh and wife Pratibha Singh.
The ED said it has issued a provisional order of attachment under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
“This order attaches ₹4.2 crore from a portion of a farmhouse at Dera Mandi in Delhi in the name of Ms Tarini International and fixed assets of Ms Tarini Infra Damanganga project at Vapi in Gujarat. Also, shares worth ₹64 lakh in the name of Vikramaditya and Virbhadra’s daughter Aprajita Singh and fixed deposits to the tune of ₹20 lakh in bank account of Aprajita have been attached,” the agency said in a statement.
It added that since the shares of Ms Tarini Infra were transferred by Pratibha to daughter of Vakamulla Chandrashekar — promoter/director of Tarini Group of Companies which is engaged in hydro power projects in Himachal — for a consideration of ₹60 lakh, the same “also stands attached” from the FD of Pratibha with various bank accounts in Delhi and Shimla.
It said during investigations into the “trail of funds passing through Chandershekhar, it was revealed that ₹5.9 crore was given by him to Virbhadra and his family members through his three personal bank accounts”.