New Delhi/Calcutta: The Enforcement Directorate has begun the process of attaching a part of Axis Mall in New Town owned by Mehul Choksi's Gitanjali group of companies.
The ED on Thursday attached 41 properties worth Rs 1,217.20 crore belonging to diamantaire Choksi and companies controlled by him in connection with the PNB scam.
During an earlier search of seven Gitanjali properties in Bengal, the ED came to know that Choksi owned a part of Axis Mall.
During those searches, the ED had seized gold and diamonds worth Rs 25 crore. While going through documents seized during the searches, it was revealed that Choksi owned a portion of the mall.
An ED officer said Gitanjali purchased the property in 2011 but rented it out to another company.
"A rough estimate shows that the value of the mall's portion is nearly Rs 100 crore. We have started the process of attaching the property," the ED officer said.
Another ED officer said the properties attached on Thursday included 15 flats and 17 office premises in Mumbai, a four-acre farmhouse in Alibaug and 231 acres of land in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
Among the seized properties is a 170-acre park in Hyderabad's Ranga Reddy district valued at Rs 500 crore. Four flats in the Borivali area of Mumbai and nine others in Khemu Towers in Santa Cruz have also been attached.
"All these properties have been attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and their market value is Rs 1217.20 crore," the official said.
Last week, the ED had attached 21 immovable properties worth Rs 523.72 crore belonging to Choksi's niece and other accused, including Nirav Modi, under the PMLA.
Sources in the agency said the exact value of the gold and diamond jewellery and stones seized from Nirav's and his uncle Choksi's showrooms was still being calculated.
On February 15, the day after it was announced that Nirav and Choksi allegedly cheated Punjab National Bank, the ED had searched 17 premises and in the evening issued a statement saying "stocks worth Rs 5,100 crore, including gold and diamond jewellery, precious stones etc (were) recovered".
