ED arrests ex-MP cop in money laundering case

NEW DELHI/MADHYA PRADESH: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested former policeman Saurabh Sharma from the Madhya Pradesh Transport Department and his associates Chetan Singh Gaur and Sharad Jaiswal in a money laundering case linked to disproportionate assets. The arrests were made under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after securing custody from the state police Lokayukta, who had detained them.

Sharma, who joined as a constable in the regional transport office, or RTO, in 2015 on compassionate grounds, allegedly made an unbelievable fortune much above his legitimate earnings. According to the ED, he, along with Gaur and Jaiswal, had formed several firms and operated various bank accounts—the one owned by his family members—where such currency was laundered and further invested in properties under somebody’s other names.

The Lokayukta FIR claims Sharma had amassed disproportionate assets worth

crores. Investigators are also probing a related case in which 52 kg of gold bars and Rs 11 crore in cash were found in an abandoned vehicle linked to Gaur, a close associate of Sharma.

The ED had earlier conducted searches and frozen assets worth Rs 10 crore as part of its ongoing investigation into the case.