Imphal, Oct 9 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the PMLA, 2002, has provisionally attached three immovable properties totalling to the tune of Rs 71 lakh of two persons in Manipur, the central probe agency said on Thursday.

The ED, Imphal Sub-Zonal office has provisionally attached three immovable properties totalling to the tune of Rs 71 lakh (approx.) on September 30 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

Out of the three properties, one residential property is held by Konsam (O) Sheityabati Devi, who is the wife of K. Jiban Kumar Singh, the then Finance Officer in-charge of the Manipur University, to the tune of Rs 23.95 Lakh, the ED said in a statement.

It said that two other pieces of agricultural land are held by Lourembam Rameshwar Meitei (Contractor), Proprietor of M/s Lourembam Enterprises in Imphal, to the tune of Rs 48 lakh.

ED initiated investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Anti Corruption Branch (ACB), CBI, Imphal under various Sections of IPC, 1860 and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 alleging that the officials of Manipur University including K. Basanta Singh, K Jiban Kumar, N Tejendro Singh and former Vice-Chancellor of Manipur University H.N.K. Sarma and others entered into a criminal conspiracy with one another.

They also entered into a criminal conspiracy with contractor Lourembam Rameshwar Meitei, proprietor of M/s Lourembam Enterprises, to cheat Manipur University.

The ED said that by abusing their (varsity officials) official positions, they had fraudulently and dishonestly shown undue favour to the contractor, Lourembam Rameshwar Meitei, in awarding the tender for the supply of various furniture items to the International Guest House (IGH) of Manipur University.

They falsely showed receipt of the furniture items in full quantities and paid the entire bill amount to M/s Lourembam Enterprises.

Further, they tried to cover up the furniture items as burnt down in the purported fire incident at the Recreation Hall of the University and thereby causing huge wrongful loss to the higher educational institution and the corresponding wrongful gain to themselves.

ED investigation revealed that the officials of Manipur University awarded the tenders to M/s Lourembam Enterprises for the procurement of furniture items, without following due procedures and norms and in gross violation of Rule 148 of General Financial Rules.

Further that Rameshwar Meitei, Proprietor of M/s Lourembam Enterprises, did not supply the furniture items worth Rs 64,36,502 as per the supply order, and illegally raised the bills for the said amount and also claimed an installation charge of Rs 9,65,476.

Thus, an amount of total Rs 74,01,978 was paid illegally to Rameshwar Meitei by the officials of Manipur University. Therefore, the amount of Rs 74,01,978 was misappropriated by Rameshwar Meitei in connivance with officials of Manipur University as a result of criminal activity related to a scheduled offence, and thus, this amount of Rs 74,01,978 is nothing but the Proceeds of Crime.

Further investigation is in progress.

–IANS

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