Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Guwahati Zonal Office, conducted search operations on Wednesday in connection with the misappropriation of funds by former officials of 'Kamakhya Debutter Board' under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The search operations were conducted in the case related to 'Kamakhya Debutter Board,' which is involved in the management of Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, for alleged misappropriation of funds to the tune of approximately Rs. 7.62 crore by the officials of the defunct Kamakhya Debutter Board in the period from 2003 till 2019.
The ED initiated the investigation into the case on the basis of an FIR registered by CID at Guwahati under various sections of IPC for misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs. 7.62 crore (approx.) against officials of 'Kamakhya Debutter Board.' The misappropriation was done by way of transfer of funds to related entities and routing of the same to entities owned by the board's officials for their personal gains. In order to syphon off funds from the Kamakhya Temple, these former officials used related or shell entities for the supply of materials like electrical goods, cements, cleaning chemicals, manpower, and other services. The funds were then transferred to entities owned by the officials or taken out in cash. Officials, with criminal intent, resorted to splitting of bills to keep their value under Rs. 50,000 so as to be compliant with court directions forbidding expense of larger amounts without permission of the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup.
On Wednesday, ED conducted search operations at the residential premises of Riju Prasad Sarma, the then administrator of Kamakhya Debutter Board; Dhiraj Sarma & Naba Kanta Sarma (both since deceased); and other ex-officials of the then Debutter Board of Kamakhya, in relation to the generation of Proceeds of Crime (POC) connected with funds of Kamakhya Temple, under PMLA 2002.
The search actions by ED have resulted in the seizure of insurance policies worth approximately Rs. 1.82 crore taken out in the name of officials of the Kamakhya Debutter Board and their family members. Further, documents related to immovable properties and business entities of officials of the Kamakhya Debutter Board and their family members have been seized. Besides, more than 27 bank accounts of various related persons have surfaced during searches. Further investigation is in progress, sources said.
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