Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable assets worth ₹119.6 crore of one Santiago Martin and his associates in a lottery scam which involved the masterminds allegedly cheating the State of Sikkim from a remote location in Kerala.
The attached assets consists of 61 flats, 82 open plots and six plots with buildings located in Coimbatore. Investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) revealed that Martin and his associates allegedly made illegal gain to the extent of ₹910.3 crore on account of inflating the prize winning tickets claim for the period from April 1, 2009 to August 31, 2010, the ED said in a press release.
Santiago Martin used this illegally gained money to purchase immovable properties in the name of 40 companies which were used for laundering the proceeds of crime, the release further said.
The ED initiated investigation against his company Future Gaming Solutions, now known as Future Gaming and Hotel Services, on the basis of a chargesheet filed by the CBI, Anti-Corruption Bureau, Cochin for offences punishable the Indian Penal Code and Lotteries (Regulation) Act.
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