Illegal mining probe in Ganjam yields cash, vehicles and property documents under PMLA searches targeting alleged mafias.
Investigations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act involved coordinated searches at over twenty locations in Ganjam district linked to alleged mafias and business associates; searches recovered cash reportedly over Rs 2 crore, high-end vehicles, and immovable property documents while the operation continued pending full accounting. The probe targets suspected laundering of proceeds from illegal sand and black stone mining allegedly carried out through coercion and intimidation, with recovered evidence to be used to trace ownership and financial links.

Construction fraud: anti-money-laundering chargesheet filed for inflated contracts, assets worth nearly Rs. 97 lakh attached; identified proceeds about Rs. 1.09 crore.
The Enforcement Directorate filed a chargesheet under the PMLA against a contractor, firms and individuals for allegedly conspiring with public works officials to fraudulently inflate construction costs of a judicial complex, identifying total proceeds of crime of Rs 1.09 crore and reporting attachment of assets worth Rs 96.67 lakh.

Drugs trafficking linked money laundering raids target 20-25 premises across multiple states after an anti narcotics FIR.
Approximately 20-25 premises in multiple states were searched under the statutory money laundering framework in a coordinated investigation into alleged proceeds of drug trafficking arising from an anti narcotics FIR.

Suraksha Group: FIR alleges diversion of funds meant for stalled homebuyers, ED may pursue PMLA probe.
The EOW registered an FIR against Suraksha Group, Lakshdeep Investments and others based on Enforcement Directorate inputs under section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act alleging diversion of about Rs 235 crore from Jaypee Infratech Ltd that were intended for construction of stalled apartments, constituting breach of trust and cheating of homebuyers; the ED appended its communication and indicated it may file a fresh PMLA case, asserting Suraksha's allocations to linked entities were inconsistent with the approved resolution plan.

I-PAC raid raises scrutiny over alleged interference with central probe; FIR stayed and CCTV secured.
The ED alleges obstruction of its raids at a political consultancy, removal of evidence, and seeks a CBI probe into interference by state agencies. The court described the allegation as very serious, stayed the FIR against ED officers, ordered preservation of CCTV footage, and issued notices to the chief minister, state government, DGP and senior police to respond to the petition.

Kerala businessman arrested under PMLA in cashew export money laundering probe after bribery allegations against an agency officer.
A Kerala businessman was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in a cashew export linked investigation based on multiple FIRs alleging cheating through fraudulent import promises; the arrest precedes production before a special PMLA court. Concurrently, the businessman had accused a probe officer of soliciting Rs 2 crore to settle the March 2021 money laundering case, prompting a state vigilance complaint and creating parallel bribery allegations alongside the substantive money laundering prosecution.

Chaitanya Baghel bail appeal deferred; high court cited parity and documentary evidence to grant bail.
Supreme Court deferred the appeal against bail granted to Chaitanya Baghel in ED and ACB/EOW prosecutions. The high court allowed bail on parity grounds, noting his role was significantly lesser than other accused already on bail, that the ED investigation was largely documentary, and that evidentiary weight of Section 50 PMLA statements and financial/digital records should be tested at trial rather than at the bail stage. The HC separately criticized investigative failure to arrest another accused despite an open warrant.

TMC data preservation petition disposed after ED said no seizure; political leaders sharply criticised the action.
The petition for preservation of personal and political data was disposed after the Enforcement Directorate told the court it had not seized any material from the consultancy office or its director's residence; the ED also filed a special leave petition in the Supreme Court, and the High Court adjourned the ED's separate request for a CBI probe into the January 8 events.

Land-for-jobs scam: CBI says ministerial role excluded from official duties, so prior sanction not required for prosecution.
CBI asserts that appointment decisions in the West Central Zone were not part of the railway minister's official duties and therefore did not require prior sanction under Section 17A to proceed against the minister, while sanction for the concerned general managers was obtained; the agency alleges those appointments were exchanged for land transfers, involved benami transactions, and constituted criminal misconduct and conspiracy.

Excise policy case: authorities seek review of bail in a money laundering probe, with trial record ordered for court review.
Enforcement authorities have challenged bail granted in an excise policy-linked money laundering investigation; the High Court directed the trial court record be produced and set a hearing to review the plea against bail. The matter arises against prior interim consideration of the need and necessity of arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, previous trial-court bail that was stayed, and concurrent investigations alleging irregularities and undue favours in excise-policy modifications.

Chhattisgarh coal levy extortion funds used to bribe officials and finance election expenses.
The Enforcement Directorate alleges Rs 540 crore was illicitly collected via an illegal coal levy and used to bribe officials, fund election expenses, and acquire assets; it has provisionally attached eight immovable properties valued at Rs 2.66 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, reportedly acquired in relatives' names by accused persons including Soumya Chaurasia.

Anti-money laundering enforcement expands to asset attachment, ED raids, and stricter crypto KYC including liveness and geo-tagging.
Anti-money laundering enforcement emphasizes securing suspected proceeds and preserving assets, including potential campus attachment under AML law, and challenges to alleged interference in investigative raids. Concurrently, regulators mandate enhanced KYC for crypto exchanges-liveness detection and geo-verification-expanding compliance obligations for virtual-asset providers. Preventive-detention doctrine is clarified to require concrete public-order grounds beyond speculative reoffending fears.

Al Falah University campus faces provisional attachment over alleged use of illicit funds and accreditation misrepresentation.
Al Falah University campus assets may be provisionally attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act where funds used in construction are suspected to be proceeds of crime. The Enforcement Directorate is identifying and valuing movable and immovable trust property to prevent dissipation, with a government receiver to administer the campus so education can continue while criminal proceedings and investigations into alleged accreditation misrepresentation and forged land documents proceed.

Cryptocurrency exchanges must use live selfies, geo-tagging, strict KYC and five-year record retention under new AML rules.
VDA service providers must use liveliness detection via live selfies, capture exact geolocation, timestamp and IP at onboarding, conduct a Re 1 penny-drop bank verification, collect PAN plus a secondary ID with OTP verification, register as reporting entities with the Financial Intelligence Unit under the PMLA, submit suspicious transaction reports, apply enhanced due diligence for high-risk clients (including PEPs and links to tax-haven or FATF-listed jurisdictions), discourage ICOs/ITOs and refuse facilitation of anonymity-enhancing tools, and retain client and transaction records for at least five years.

Crypto exchanges must collect PAN, liveness verified selfie, geolocation and use penny drop bank verification.
Reporting entities providing virtual digital asset services must register with the financial intelligence authority, perform mandatory client due diligence including PAN, liveness verified selfie, geolocation with timestamp and IP, verify bank accounts via a refundable Rs 1 penny drop, and collect an additional identity/address document. High risk clients require enhanced due diligence and more frequent KYC updates; anonymity enhancing tokens, tumblers, mixers and ICOs/ITOs are not to be facilitated. Exchanges must submit suspicious transaction reports and retain client and transaction records for at least five years or until investigations close.

I-PAC raids: ED alleges state interference and seeks central CBI probe amid caveat and FIR filings.
The Enforcement Directorate alleges state interference and removal of evidence by the Chief Minister during searches at I-PAC and its director in a money laundering probe, seeks a CBI inquiry and has approached the Supreme Court while the state has filed a caveat; the police have registered an FIR against ED officers and the party denies the allegations.

Rajasthan mid-day meal scheme faces alleged Rs 2,000 crore money laundering probe and asset attachment.
Allegations of procurement irregularities in the Rajasthan mid-day meal dry-ration programme (2020-23) involving delays, inflated pricing, poor quality control and payments without delivery prompted federal evidence transmission under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to the Rajasthan ACB. The ED had recorded an ECIR and now seeks registration of a fresh money laundering case to investigate alleged collusion, attach potential proceeds of crime and prosecute under anti-money laundering and corruption statutes; the ACB FIR names 21 accused.

Enforcement Directorate raids on political consultancy I-PAC spur Bengal government to file a caveat seeking hearing.
Enforcement Directorate searches at a political consultancy and its director were conducted as part of a money laundering probe that the agency says yielded seized material, while alleging that state actors entered raid sites and removed key documents and electronic devices; the state government has filed a caveat seeking a hearing before any order, and the agency has sought a transfer of investigative jurisdiction by requesting a separate probe.

Homebuyers' fraud: assets provisionally attached after alleged diversion of advance payments and non delivery of homes.
Provisional attachment proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act were initiated against a real estate developer after predicate complaints alleged diversion of advance booking funds and non delivery of promised housing units. The agency attached land parcels valued at about Rs 585 crore, citing collection of large advances across multiple projects, transfers of those receipts to group entities, dishonoured refund cheques, and alterations to project land and amenities as indicia of proceeds of alleged money laundering.

I-PAC raids: ED seeks CBI probe into alleged forcible removal of digital devices and documents by CM.
The ED alleges the Chief Minister, with state police assistance, forcibly removed digital devices, electronic storage media and key documents from ED custody during PMLA searches at an I PAC director's residence and office, obstructing and frustrating the search; it seeks CBI registration of FIRs, an independent probe into senior state actors, and immediate seizure, sealing, forensic preservation and restoration of the allegedly removed material.