Patna: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets of senior Bihar-cadre IAS officer K. Senthil Kumar, currently with the revenue board.
Earlier, the state vigilance department had registered a case against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act, for his role as Patna Municipal Corporation commissioner, after it raided his office.
Property belonging to Senthil that the ED attached includes a flat in Patna, land and building of a trust run by him and his family, 35 plots in Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu in the name of his relatives and seven bank accounts in the name of Senthil and the trust. The Vigilance Investigation Bureau charged him with causing loss to the exchequer by illegally approving maps of builders, awarding contracts to favoured firms and lesser collection of holding tax from prominent hotels of Patna.
The ED had taken suo motu cognizance of the charge-sheet and initiated its own probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The ED maintained that during investigation it was found that Senthil had amassed huge wealth by corrupt means during his tenure as district magistrate, Munger, and as commissioner of the Patna Municpal Corporation. "He laundered his illegal wealth through firms such as M/s Sudha Super Market and M /s Chennai Café at Patna and a trust named K Indira Memorial Education Trust in Tamil Nadu, which is managed by his family members.
The ED has pointed out that M/s Sudha Super Market and M/s Chennai Café in Patna, through his younger brother K. Ayyapan, was actually run by the IAS officer himself. ED has found evidence of huge payments made to these firms by a person called Bimal Kumar, a contractor. "K Senthil Kumar used to park proceeds of crime with Bimal Kumar for which Bimal was awarded huge government contracts during the IAS officer's tenure. The directorate alleges that the IAS officer formed a trust in the name of family members in 2003 to launder his illegal wealth. The trust was made operational in 2008 from cash provided by K Senthil Kumar. The directorate alleges that Senthil's family members also manipulated the trust to conceal proceeds of crime generated by the IAS officer.
Enforcement Directorate has attached assets of senior Bihar cadreIAS officer K Senthil Kumar-currently posted in revenue board. The statevigilance has already registered a case against Kumar under the Preventionof Corruption Ac t for the role IAS officer as Patna Municipal CorporationCommissioner after it conducted a raid in his office. The ED had recentlyattached property to the tune of Rs 1.8 crore of former DM of Patna PradeepKumar a 19991 batch IAS officer of Jharkhand and presently Commissioner ofSanthal Parganas in Jharkhand.
The property attached by the enforcement directorate of K Senthil Kumarincludes a flat in Patna , Land and building of a trust run by the IASofficer and his family, 35 plots of land at Ariyalur Tamol Nadu in the nameof family members of the IAS officer and available balance in 7 bankaccounts in the name of K Senthil Kumar and the trust.
The Vigilance investigation bureau has charge-sheeted K Senthil Kuamrcharging him of casing huge loss to the exchequer in official capacity byillegal approval of maps of builders, awarding contracts to favoured firms,lessor collection of holding tax from prominent hotels of Patna. The ED hadtaken sup moto cognizance of the charge sheet and initiated its owninvestigationunder the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
ED maintained that during investigation it was found that K Senthil Kumarhas amassed huge wealth by corrupt means right from his tenure as DistrictMagistrate Munger an d as Commissioner of Patna Municpal Corporation. “Helaundered his illegal wealth through firms such as M/s Sudha Super Marketan d M /s Chennai Café at Patna and trust namely K Indira MemorialEducation Trust at Tamil Nadu which is managed by his family members.
The ED has pointed out that M/s Sudha Super Market and M/s Chennai Café atPatn a through his younger brother K Ayyapan, was actually run by the IASofficer himself. ED has found evidence of huge payments made to these firmsby a person called Bimal Kumar-a contractor. “K Senthil Kumar used to parkhis proceeds of crime with Bimal Kumar for which Bimal Kumar was awardedhuge government contracts during the tenure of the IAS officer, Thedirectorate alleges that the IAS officer formed a trust in the name offamily members in 2003 to launder his illegal wealth and the trust was madeoperational in 2008 from the cash provided by K Senthil Kumar. It allegesthat Family members of Kumar have also manipulated the trust to concealproceeds of crime generated by the IAS officer.
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