UP: IRS officer arrested in Lucknow in disproportionate assets case, sent to ED custody

New Delhi [India], June 29 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested from Lucknow, a 2008-batch IRS officer working as an additional commissioner of Customs and GST, in connection with a money laundering investigation against him linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets worth crores, the agency said.

The accused Sachin Balasaheb Sawant was arrested on June 27 in the ongoing investigation being conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

ED had initiated an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 by the Central Bureau of Investigation, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Mumbai.

It is alleged that during the check period, Sachin Balasaheb Sawant amassed assets disproportionate to his known and legal sources of income.

During the PMLA investigation conducted so far, it was revealed that cash deposits of around Rs 1.25 crore were made from unexplained sources in the personal bank accounts of family members of Sawant and in the bank account of a dummy company wherein his father and brother-in-law were directors.

"It has been found that immovable property was purchased in the name of said dummy company. The source for the purchase of the said property was shown as personal loans and other bank loans whose repayments were also made in cash," the agency said in a statement.

Although, the flat is in the name of a dummy company Sachin Sawant was occupying the said flat as its real owner.

To identify the proceeds of the crime, Sawant has been arrested by ED on June 27.

Further, he was produced before the Special PMLA Court of Mumbai where the court has granted the custody of Sawant till July 5 to the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Further investigation is underway in progress.