ED attaches assets of former Odisha cadre IFS officer Abhay Pathak

Bhubaneswar: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 66 lakh of former Odisha cadre Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Abhay Kant Pathak under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

In January this year, the ED had carried out searches in connection with the money laundering case registered against Pathak, a former Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Addl. PCCF) in Odisha.

The ED had initiated investigation against Pathak under the PMLA, 2002 on the basis of the FIR registered by the Vigilance department over disproportionate assets worth around Rs 9 crore possessed by the former IFS officer and his family members.

During the search, the ED had seized a BMW car worth around Rs 75 lakh under the PMLA, 2002.

During investigation, the ED officials came to know that Pathak’s son Akash had tried to sell the car to a person form Bengaluru.

It is worth mentioning here that Odisha police had registered several other FIRs against Pathak and his son on charges of duping gullible youths on promise of providing jobs in Tata Motors.

The ED had earlier carried out searches at the residence of Pathak in the capital city here in December, 2021 under PMLA, 2002.

The ED had then provisionally attached assets worth Rs 29.83 lakh of the former IFS officer, sources said.

Notably, Pathak had been given compulsory retirement over allegations of amassing disproportionate assets in 2021.