Patna: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached agricultural land worth Rs 17.35 lakh belonging to Sadar Alam, the former chief general manager and regional officer of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Patna, in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation.
The attachment was carried out under Section 5(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The ED’s action is based on a predicate offence registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which had earlier launched a case against Alam on allegations of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
According to the agency, its investigation found that between July 2021 and September 2022, Alam allegedly acquired disproportionate assets amounting to Rs 89,09,713. Officials said the proceeds of crime were allegedly concealed through layered financial transactions, including significant cash deposits into linked bank accounts followed by multiple transfers to obscure the money trail.
During earlier searches conducted by the CBI’s anti-corruption branch in Patna, cash amounting to Rs 71,01,250 was recovered from Alam’s residence. Investigators stated that he was unable to provide satisfactory explanations or documentary evidence regarding the source of the seized cash.
Authorities estimate the total proceeds of crime at Rs 89,09,713. Of this, more than Rs 71 lakh in cash and jewellery has already been seized by the CBI. The ED said the attachment of the agricultural land is aimed at recovering the remaining alleged proceeds of crime.
The agency added that further investigation is under way, with detailed scrutiny of financial transactions continuing.
