ED attaches properties worth Rs 7.5 cr in money laundering case

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said that it has attached properties of P.J. Mathew, Celine Mathew and Thomas Mathew to the tune of Rs 7.51 crore in connection with Mathew International case of money-laundering.

The ED said that it attached immovable and movable properties of the three, which includes a duplex flat at Mumbai in the name of Celine Mathew, two cents land at Kerala Alappuzha registered in the name of Thomas Mathew and a Mercedes Benz in the name of P.J. Mathew valued at Rs 2.96 crore and also attached the Rs 4.55 crore cash seized by the Income Tax Department during April-May 2015. The ED had registered a case on the basis of the FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Anti-Corruption Branch, Cochin, against L. Adolphus, Protector of Emigrants, Cochin, P.J. Mathew, Proprietor of Mathew International, Mumbai and Mohammed NainaPrabhu, Proprietor of Munavvara Associates, Mumbai.

The official said that the money laundering probe was that P.J. Mathew, with the help of others, recruited more than 900 nurses who were to be employed in Kuwait by charging exorbitant service charge ranging from Rs 18.5 lakh to Rs 20 lakh from each of the applicants, as against the stipulated charges of Rs 20,000.

The official further stated that during the probe, it was found that Mathew International illegally and dishonestly collected approximately Rs 205.71 crore from the emigrants, and this amount was sent to Kuwait by way of hawala transfer, taking help of Mohammad Aslam of Ideal Forex (P) Ltd. The ED had also caried out searches at the premises of Ideal Forex (P) Ltd at Ernakulam in December 2018 where it seized cash to the tune of Rs 6.42 lakh and foreign currency of 19 countries, amounting to equivalent of Rs 24.92 lakh. (IANS)

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