AA confirms seizure of Delhi Minister's kin's Rs 1.46 cr assets

In a setback for Delhi Minister Kailash Gehlot, the Adjudicating Authority (AA) has confirmed attachment of Rs 1.46 crore assets of his brother Harish Gehlot in a Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) violation case.

on May 7, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached properties, including a flat in South Delhi's Vasant Kunj and some land in Haryana, which are worth two flats in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The ED had initiated a probe under the FEMA on the information from the Income Tax Department.

According to ED officials, during investigation it was found that Rs 1 crore was transferred by Harish Gahlot through a Delhi-based hawala-dealer, which was to be used as the advance payment towards two flats in Dubai in September 2018.

The ED officials claimed, in September 2018 Harish Gahlot had given Rs 1 crore in cash to his younger son Nitesh Gahlot, a non-resident Indian (NRI) studying in Dubai. The official claimed Nitesh Gahlot then approached Inderpal Wadhawan, a Delhi-based hawala-dealer, to transfer the money.

The hawala-dealer charged Rs 4 lakh from him as commission and delivered dirhams equivalent to Rs 96 lakh in Dubai, which was collected by a friend of Nitesh Gahlot. It was then deposited in a bank account in Dubai.

"With these funds, Nitesh Gahlot paid the Dubai-based developers the advance for two flats. One flat was booked under his name and his father's name while the other was meant for his elder brother and mother," an ED official had said.

The investigation also revealed during the same period, Harish Gahlot had also sent Rs 50 lakh from his bank in India to the bank account of his son in Dubai for education, including fees and hostel expenses.-IANS