Properties Ex-Jal Board Official, Others Attached In Money Laundering Case

The Enforcement Directorate has attached various immovable and movable properties having a total value of Rs 8.80 crore belonging to former Delhi Jal Board (DJB) Chief Engineer Jagdish Kumar Arora, his wife Alka Arora, and others, in a money laundering case, the agency said on Tuesday. Among the owners is Anil Kumar Aggarwal, proprietor of Integral Screw Industries (sub-contractor) and NKG Infrastructure Limited (contractor of DJB).

ED said the properties were attached under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in the case of Jagdish Kumar Arora and others. “The immovable properties are situated in Delhi,” the ED said.

The ED initiated investigations based on the First Information Report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which contained scheduled offenses related to corruption and bribery in the DJB.

The FIR alleged that Arora awarded the flow meter contract of DJB to NKG Infrastructure Ltd at a highly inflated cost of Rs 38 crore even though the company did not meet the technical eligibility criteria.

The ED investigation revealed that NKG Infrastructure Ltd. obtained the bid by submitting forged, fake, and false documents. As per the ED, Arora was aware of the fact that the company did not meet the technical eligibility criteria for sanctioning the tender.

“NKG Infrastructure Ltd sub-contracted the work to Integral Screws Ltd, a proprietorship firm of Anil Kumar Aggarwal. Out of the Rs 24 crore payment received by DJB, only about Rs 14 crore was spent towards the contract work, and the remaining amount was siphoned off and spent for bribes,” the ED said.

“Jagdish Kumar Arora received a bribe of Rs 3.19 crore, out of which he transferred Rs 2 crore to other DJB officials and the Aam Aadmi Party as an election fund,” the agency said.

ED had earlier conducted search operations on July 24, 2023, and November 17, 2023, which resulted in the seizure of incriminating documents and evidence.

The agency arrested Arora and Anil Kumar Aggarwal on January 31 and both are in judicial custody. The prosecution complaint against Jagdish Kumar Arora, Anil Kumar Aggarwal, and their close associates was filed on March 28.