Bhopal, June 2 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s Bhopal Zonal Office on Tuesday provisionally attached movable and immovable properties valued at nearly Rs 18.20 crore belonging to Dharmendra Singh Bhadauria, former District Excise Officer of Madhya Pradesh’s Alirajpur, and his family members.

The action was taken under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, following allegations of disproportionate assets.

The investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Lokayukta’s Special Police Establishment (SPE) at Indore under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, the ED said in a statement.

Authorities found that during the check period from 1987 to August 31, 2025, Bhadauria had amassed assets far beyond his known sources of income.

Against a lawful income of around Rs 2 crore, he and his family members acquired assets and incurred expenditure amounting to nearly Rs 11.18 crore.

This resulted in disproportionate assets of about Rs 9.18 crore, which is nearly 459 per cent higher than his legitimate earnings.

Searches conducted by the predicate agency at multiple premises and bank lockers linked to Bhadauria and his family led to the recovery of substantial cash, gold jewellery, bullion, silver articles, and other valuables.

During the investigation under PMLA, Bhadauria admitted ownership of the seized cash and jewellery but failed to provide any credible explanation or supporting documents regarding their acquisition.

Further inquiries revealed that Bhadauria and his family were in possession of high-value movable and immovable assets acquired during the check period, the sources of which could not be satisfactorily explained.

The ED concluded that these assets were disproportionate to their lawful income and classified them as proceeds of crime.

Accordingly, the ED has provisionally attached properties worth Rs 18.20 crore, including cash, jewellery, precious metals, and immovable assets, under Section 5(1) of the PMLA, 2002.

This step is aimed at preventing concealment, transfer, or disposal of the assets and securing them for confiscation proceedings.

Information regarding the attachment has also been shared with the Lokayukta SPE under Section 66(2) of PMLA.

The ED has confirmed that further investigation into the matter is ongoing, signalling that more revelations may follow as the probe deepens.

–IANS

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