Guwahati, August 24 — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached bank and fixed deposits worth Rs 34 crore under the anti-money laundering law, following investigations into a case of alleged misappropriation of funds meant for the welfare of construction workers in Assam.
The case involves the fraudulent allocation of contracts valued at Rs 118 crore between 2013 and 2016 by the Assam Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (ABOCWWB) to Purbashree Printing House, owned by Priyanshu Boiragi. This company allegedly received the contracts through deceptive means, diverting funds intended for the welfare of construction workers.
The ED reported the seizure of various incriminating documents and materials during the searches. While the specific dates of the searches were not disclosed, the agency confirmed the attachment of Rs 34.03 crore in bank and fixed deposits.
The investigation is rooted in an FIR filed by the Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell, which led to charges against several individuals including Chohan Doley, an IAS officer and former labour commissioner-cum-ABOCWWB member secretary; Boiragi; former ABOCWWB chairman Gautam Baruwa; and former ABOCWWB administrative officer Nagendra Nath Choudhury.
According to the ED, Choudhury obtained disproportionately high-value printing contracts from ABOCWWB through fraudulent tendering processes. Boiragi is alleged to have invested the misappropriated funds of Rs 118 crore into fixed deposits in his name and transferred the remaining amount to various bank accounts linked to him and numerous shell entities.
Read More: Assam Police Arrest Two Bangladeshi Nationals at Badarpur Railway Station