The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in Allahabad has provisionally attached six immovable properties worth Rs 1.76 crore in connection with its probe into the Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam. The properties, including agricultural land, a house, and a flat, are located in Kanpur, Fatehpur, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi. The ED investigation was initiated based on an FIR lodged by the anti-corruption branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Lucknow against the then branch manager of the Vikas Bhawan branch of Gorakhpur, Shyama Nand Chaubey, and others.
The ED found that Chaubey and other accused individuals had misappropriated approximately Rs 4.4 crore by opening fictitious accounts and illegally transferring bank funds to their accounts. Chaubey, in connivance with others, misused government funds kept in dummy bank accounts and issued loans to various individuals without prior approval, receiving kickbacks in the form of bribes. He also duped many account holders by transferring money from their accounts without their consent.
The ED has seized six properties worth Rs 1.76 crore, including agricultural land, a house, and a flat, in connection with the probe into the PNB scam. The properties are located in various cities, including Kanpur, Fatehpur, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi. The investigation is ongoing, and the ED has provisionally attached the properties under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.