ED attaches Rs 1.12 crore deposits linked to alleged conman, suspended Tripura IAS officer

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached bank deposits worth Rs 1.12 crore linked to an alleged conman, suspended Tripura cadre IAS officer Abhishek Chandra, and a private housing company in connection with a money laundering investigation, the central agency said on August 1.

The ED said the provisional attachment order was issued on July 31 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

According to the agency, the attached assets include bank balances held in the names of shell entities allegedly controlled by Utpal Kumar Chowdhury, suspended IAS officer Chandra and a private housing company.

The investigation pertains to allegations that Chowdhury cheated businessmen and investors by claiming to have close links with senior government officials posted in Tripura.

The ED alleged that Chowdhury posed as a senior official of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and obtained fake identity cards to support the impersonation.

He allegedly incorporated firms with names deceptively similar to government departments and public sector undertakings, including entities resembling the Directorate of Higher Education, Tripura, and Bridge & Roof Co.

The agency further alleged that Chowdhury fraudulently took control of a registered trust, Chaltakhali Swamiji Seva Sangha, and used the entities to attract businessmen and investors with false promises of government contracts and business opportunities.

The alleged schemes included offers related to government tenders, mid-day meal supply contracts and profits from the rubber business. Investors were allegedly persuaded to transfer funds running into several crore rupees to bank accounts linked to these entities.

The ED claimed that Chandra received alleged proceeds of crime generated by Chowdhury and his associates, both directly in his personal bank accounts and indirectly through payments made by entities linked to the alleged scheme.

According to the agency, some payments were made to a private housing company towards the booking of a flat in Chandra’s name.

The ED had conducted searches in connection with the case in August 2025. At the time, it said that fake seals and identity documents purportedly linked to the MHA, the Tripura government and certain public sector undertakings had been recovered.

Chowdhury was then reported to be lodged in a Haryana jail following his arrest by the state police.

The money laundering case is based on multiple police FIRs registered in Tripura and West Bengal against Chowdhury and others.