ED questions Kriti Verma of Bigg Boss and Roadies fame in Rs 264 crore I-T scam case

Kriti Verma, who appeared on Roadies and Bigg Boss Season 12, has reportedly come under the ED scanner  in a Rs 263-crore money laundering case. Kriti Verma, who appeared on Roadies and Bigg Boss Season 12, allegedly received laundered funds, proceeds of crime and has links with the key accused involved in the fraudulent issuance of a tax refund from the Income Tax department. Last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case against a senior tax assistant with the I-T department, Tanaji Mandal Adhikari, a businessman from Panvel Bhushan Anant Patil and others, in the case of fraudulent issuance of tax refunds.

The ED began investigations under the PMLA based upon an FIR registered by the CBI in Delhi based on a complaint about bogus issuance of refunds for the assessment years 2007-08 and 2008-09.The prime accused, Adhikari, while working as a senior tax assistant with the I-T department, had access to RSA Tokens and login credentials of his supervisory authorities and officers and had orchestrated the fraud in connivance with others. The funds were then transferred to various bank accounts, including the bank account linked to Bhushan Anant Patil. The CBI filed a charge sheet against Adhikari, Patil, Rajesh Shantaram Shetty and others under the IT Act, 2000.Kriti Verma allegedly sold one property in Gurugram, Haryana, acquired in 2021 with the proceeds of the crime and received the sale proceeds in her bank accounts. Immediately, search operations were conducted and the entire sale proceeds of Rs 1.18 crore was found in her accounts and frozen. The proceeds of the crime were used to buy land in Lonavala, Khandala, Karjat, Pune and Udupi areas, flats in Panvel and Mumbai areas, and three luxury cars - BMW X7, Mercedes GLS400d, Audi Q7 - in the name of the accused and others.