A week after arresting Delhi minister Satyendar Jain, the Enforcement Directorate carried out a fresh round of searches at the residence of the senior AAP leader, and in six other locations in the national Capital and adjoining Gurugram.

The AAP, meanwhile, defended Jain, describing the fresh searches "an act of torture". AAP Rajya Sabha leader Sanjay Singh said, "This is an act of torture, not an act of raid because Satyendar Jain has been questioned for five days. He is an honest person and has been serving Delhi in such a way that his name is being recognised all over the world".

Among the places searched are a jewellery shop in the south-east part of the Capital. The searches were described by ED officials as a "follow-up" to the cases registered against Jain and others.

In ED custody till Thursday, Jain was arrested on May 30 in a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case. In April, the ED had attached assets worth ₹4.81 crore, which are allegedly proceeds of an offence committed under the PMLA.

At that time, the agency said provisional orders had been issued to “attach immovable properties worth ₹4.81 crore belonging to Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd, Manglayatan Projects Pvt Ltd, JJ Ideal Estate Pvt. Ltd, Swati Jain, wife of Vaibhav Jain, Sushila Jain, wife of Ajit Prasad Jain, and Indu Jain, wife of Sunil Jain.”

The ED press release also charged that "during 2015 and 2016, when Satyendar Kumar Jain was a public servant, the companies beneficially owned and controlled by him received accommodation entries to the tune of ₹4.81 crore from shell (paper) companies against cash transferred to Kolkata-based entry operators through the hawala route. These amounts were utilised for direct purchase of land or for repayment of loans taken for the purchase of agricultural land in and around Delhi".

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