New Delhi [India], December 6 (ANI): The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) filed a prosecution complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, against four accused involved in the 'brown sugar business', the agency said through an official release on Tuesday.

According to the release, the complaint was filed on November 22, 2023, against Arjuna Kumar Kar and his accomplices Manas Ranjan Parichha, Maheswar Sahoo and Santosh Kumar Dash in the Court of the Ld. Sessions Judge, Khurda, at Bhubaneswar-cum-Special Court (PMLA), Bhubaneswar, with a prayer for the conviction of the accused persons allegedly involved in the commission of the offence of money laundering.

Also Read | Bihar Shocker: Three-Year-Old Toddler Kidnapped, Sexually Assaulted in Khagaria, in Serious Condition.

The Special Court, PMLA, Bhubaneswar, took cognisance of the matter on December 4, Monday.

The ED initiated the investigation on the basis of an FIR and chargesheet filed under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985, by the Special Task Force of the Crime Branch in Bhubaneswar, the agency stated in the release.

Also Read | Rise in Murder Cases: 28,522 Murder Cases Registered in India in 2022, 78 Killings Every Day, Says NCRB.

Further, according to the release, the case was initiated against the four accused in connection with the possession of 1 kg (749 gm) of contraband 'brown sugar' chemically known as '6 monoacetyl morphine' worth Rs 1.5 crore with them and recovery of the same during their search.

The ED investigation revealed that the accused would procure brown sugar from the drug peddlers in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, the release added.

The main accused, Arjuna Kumar Kar, also confessed to the involvement of the accused in the brown sugar business, the agency informed. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)