Money Laundering Case: Over Rs 1 crore in 2,000 notes seized during ED raids

Digital Desk: Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at nine residential and commercial properties in Daman and Gujarat's Valsad linked to notorious criminal Suresh Jagubhai Patel and his associates.

Based on cases booked by Daman Police, Gujarat Police, and Mumbai Police against the above accused for various offenses such as corruption, illegal firearm possession,

 murder, extortion, and others, the investigation agency launched an investigation under PMLA against Suresh Patel alias Sukha and his accomplices.

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Apart from the above-mentioned cases, Suresh Patel and his associates are facing more than 35 charges in Gujarat and Daman, including liquor smuggling, murder, extortion, attempted murder, possession of illegal firearms, robbery, attacks on government employees, and passport forgery.

Suresh Patel and his associates established a web of companies, according to an ED probe. The majority of the enterprises had no or very little business activity. They were established solely to launder the proceeds of their illegal activities.

Suresh Patel, his family members, and the companies he controls have had their bank accounts credited with cash worth more than Rs 100 crore.

Suresh Patel is charged with more than ten cases of smuggling liquor into Gujarat, seven counts of forgery and fraud, eight cases of murder or attempted murder, five cases of illegal weapon possession, and one case of corruption, among other offenses. He was convicted in a case filed under Section 174-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (non-appearance in response to a proclamation).

Suresh Patel and his accomplices, Ketan Patel, Vipul Patel, and Miten Patel, are currently in judicial custody in connection with a double murder in Daman in 2018.

During searches at locations associated with Suresh Patel and others, cash worth Rs 1.62 crore was seized including more than Rs 1 crore in Rs 2,000 denomination currency notes. More than 100 property documents, including sale deeds in their names, as well as relatives' names, agreements, power of attorneys, etc, were recovered.

Incriminating documents relating to businesses and monetary transactions, as well as digital evidence and three bank locker keys, were found.

Physical and forensic examinations of seized evidence were still underway.