THE BIG SCAMS
Some of the high-profile cases the ED has been investigating
Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) payment default case
THE CASE: IL&FS, with over Rs 91,000 crore debt and a severe liquidity crisis, defaulted on payment of interests
START OF PROBE: February 2019
STATUS: In August, the agency filed its first charge-sheet, naming former IL&FS group chairman Ravi Parthasarthy, ex-CEO Ramesh C. Bawa, former vice-chairman Hari Sankaran, former IFIN joint director Arun K. Saha, former ITNL managing director K. Ramchand and Siva Group chairman C. Sivasankaran
PNB scam
THE CASE: Diamantaires Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, with the help of PNB officials, used fake bank guarantees worth Rs 11,000 crore to obtain loans from overseas branches of Indian banks
START OF PROBE: February 2018
STATUS: ED attached several assets of Modi and Choksi; Modi is in jail in the UK, Choksi is in Antigua and Barbuda; the ED is fighting for their extradition
Vijay Mallya bank loan default
THE CASE: Bank officials colluded with Kingfisher Airlines’ promoters to sanction huge loans despite an adverse internal audit report; the company owed about Rs 7,800 crore to a State Bank of India-led consortium
START OF PROBE: March 2016
STATUS: Mallya fled to the UK in 2017; The UK has recently approved his extradition, but the matter is pending with its Home Office
Saradha chit fund scam
THE CASE: An umbrella company with 200 private players, the Saradha group in West Bengal allegedly cheated more than a million investors with ponzi schemes; the scam is worth over Rs 10,000 crore
START OF PROBE: April 2013
STATUS: The ED has filed a criminal complaint against former Trinamool Congress MP Srinjoy Bose, former Union minister Matang Sinh and his estranged wife and Saradha chief Sudipta Sen, besides six others
Rose Valley chit fund case
THE CASE: The Rose Valley group allegedly floated 27 companies to run chit funds; the ED estimates Rs 17,520 crore was raised from investors, who were cheated
START OF PROBE: May 2014
STATUS: Rose Valley chairman Gautam Kundu was arrested in 2015; a charge-sheet has been filed
AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam
THE CASE: Middlemen, on behalf of the helicopter manufacturer, allegedly bribed officials and politicians to secure a deal to supply helicopters for the PM, top politicians
START OF PROBE: June 2014
STATUS: Kingpin Christian Michel is in jail; the charge-sheet names more than 30 people, including former IAF chief S.P. Tyagi; ED arrested MP CM Kamal Nath’s nephew Ratul Puri
Coal blocks allocation scam
THE CASE: In March 2012, a CAG draft report accused the UPA government of ‘inefficient’ allocation of coal blocks in 2004-2009, and estimated the windfall gains to allottees at Rs 10.7 lakh crore
START OF PROBE: April 2014
STATUS: The ED has filed several charge-sheets; former Jharkhand minister Hari Narayan Rai has been convicted
INX Media case
THE CASE: Alleged irregularities were committed in Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media in 2008; payments were allegedly made to a firm associated with P. Chidambaram’s son Karti at the time the finance ministry granted FIPB approval
START OF PROBE: May 2017
STATUS: ED filed a charge-sheet against Chidambaram and his son
Aircel-Maxis case
THE CASE: The cases relate to alleged irregularities in FIPB approval to Aircel-Maxis; Chidambaram was finance minister and Karti allegedly got a stake in Aircel
START OF PROBE: October 2011
STATUS: The ED has filed a charge-sheet against Chidambaram and Karti, both got anticipatory bail
Sterling Biotech bank fraud
THE CASE: Rs 8,100 crore bank loan fraud. The Vadodara firm and its main promoters are accused of siphoning bank loans for personal purposes and diverting them to their oil business in Nigeria
START OF PROBE: October 2017
STATUS: Main accused Sandesara brothers are absconding; Delhibased businessman Gagan Dhawan and a Ranjit Malik aka Johny have been arrested for their role in this case; another accused, Hitesh Patel, was nabbed in Albania in March
Aviation scam
THE CASE: Criminal cases filed to probe allegations of irregularities and money-laundering in at least four deals signed during UPA rule, including Air India-Indian Airlines merger
START OF PROBE: October 2018 STATUS: P. Chidambaram and former aviation minister Praful Patel of NCP have been interrogated ICICI Bank-Videocon loan scam
THE CASE: The ED is examining whether former ICICI Bank MD Chanda Kochhar made personal gains through alleged irregularities in the release of loans to the Videocon group in 2012
START OF PROBE: February 2019
STATUS: The ED summoned Kochhar thrice, she has not turned up yet
Lalit Modi and IPL money-laundering cases
THE CASE: Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi allegedly told some bidders how much to bid to win during the first IPL auction in 2008. The ED is also probing the transfer of Rs 253 crore to Cricket South Africa by the BCCI in 2009 for IPL season 2, allegedly without the RBI’s prior approval
START OF PROBE: November 2009
STATUS: In 2018, the ED fined the BCCI over Rs 121 crore for violating FEMA, Modi fled to London
Hasan Ali Khan money-laundering scam
THE CASE: In 2007, Pune businessman Hasan Ali Khan was accused of laundering $8 billion; he was arrested in June 2011 under PMLA
START OF PROBE: March 2007
STATUS: The ED registered second complaint against Khan and others in 2017; Khan is out on bail
Tamil Nadu gutka scam
THE CASE: Tobacco product firms bribed ministers and officials and police to allow sale of gutka, which is banned in TN since 2013
START OF PROBE: June 2018
STATUS: The ED attached properties of the main accused; a TN health minister and DGP’s name cropped up in the scam