India News | ED Files Charge Sheet Against Odisha-based Ex-forest Officer, Son in Money Laundering Case
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. A charge sheet under the anti-money laundering law has been filed against a former Odisha-based Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer and his son being probed for alleged possession of disproportionate assets, the Enforcement Directorate said on Monday.
New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) A charge sheet under the anti-money laundering law has been filed against a former Odisha-based Indian Forest Service (IFoS) officer and his son being probed for alleged possession of disproportionate assets, the Enforcement Directorate said on Monday.
A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Bhubaneswar has taken cognisance of the prosecution complaint, filed against Abhay Kant Pathak and his son Akash Kumar Pathak on August 18, the federal agency said in a statement.
The charge sheet has been filed with a "prayer for conviction of the accused persons and confiscation of the proceeds of crime", it said.
Pathak, a 1987-batch IFoS officer, was compulsorily retired by the Centre on the recommendation of the Odisha government following the registration of a vigilance case against him in November 2020 for alleged possession of disproportionate assets.
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The officer last worked as the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (plan, programme and afforestation) in the Odisha government.
The ED case stems from this Odisha vigilance bureau FIR that accused Pathak of "misusing his official position and amassing ill-gotten wealth to an extent of Rs 9.35 crore".
The agency said Akash Kumar Pathak was also booked for allegedly "duping gullible people in lieu of providing jobs in Tata Motors."
Apart from attaching assets worth over Rs 1 crore, a BMW car of the Pathaks was also seized by the Enforcement Directorate.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)