The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Bhopal Zonal Office, has filed a Prosecution Complaint under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 against former District Excise Officer of Alirajpur, Dharmendra Singh Bhadauria, before the Special Court (PMLA) in Indore. The Special Court has taken cognizance of the complaint and issued notice to the accused.
The money laundering investigation was initiated by the ED on the basis of a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Special Police Establishment (SPE), Lokayukta, Indore. The FIR alleged that Bhadauria had amassed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income while serving in the Excise Department of the Government of Madhya Pradesh. The case was registered under Section 13(2) read with Section 13(1)(b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.
According to the ED, its investigation revealed that Bhadauria knowingly acquired, possessed, concealed and projected proceeds of crime as untainted by investing illicit funds in high-value movable and immovable assets. These investments were allegedly made not only in his own name but also in the names of his family members. The agency alleged that the assets were grossly disproportionate to his lawful sources of income and therefore constituted “proceeds of crime” under the provisions of the PMLA.
The Enforcement Directorate stated that the total proceeds of crime identified and quantified during the investigation amount to approximately ₹18.20 crore.
Earlier in the investigation, the ED had provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth ₹18.20 crore under Section 5(1) of the PMLA. The attached assets include cash, gold and silver, immovable properties and other assets allegedly acquired from the proceeds of crime.
The filing of the prosecution complaint marks the next stage in the money laundering proceedings, with the Special Court set to examine the allegations and proceed in accordance with law.
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