Guwahati, June 27: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has temporarily seized assets worth approximately ₹53.28 crore linked to retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Prashant Kumar Dutta, his family members, and associated companies in a money laundering case. This action was confirmed by officials on Saturday.
According to the ED, the Guwahati regional office issued a provisional attachment order under Section 5(1) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The seized assets include several hotel properties in Guwahati and two residential flats in Mumbai, which are allegedly acquired from the proceeds of crime.
The agency reported that Dutta was promoted from the Assam Police Service to IPS and retired in 2019 as Deputy Inspector General (DIG). He came under investigation following a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Assam Police’s Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Branch under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The alleged crimes fall under the purview of the PMLA.
The FIR claims that between 1992 and 2019, during his service, Dutta amassed assets far exceeding his known sources of income. Dutta and his wife’s declared income was around ₹7.23 crore, while their declared expenses were approximately ₹9.04 crore. Investigators reportedly uncovered undeclared assets worth about ₹77.21 crore, with disproportionate assets estimated at around ₹79.01 crore.
The ED asserted that its investigation revealed that the alleged proceeds of crime were laundered through three private companies—Mahamaya Estates Private Limited, Ishaan Commercial Private Limited, and Murari Commodities Private Limited—whose registered offices were non-existent.
The agency alleged that over ₹14.74 crore of unidentified funds were invested in hotel properties and residential flats through family members and these companies, utilizing fictitious shareholders, Kolkata-based shell entities, and circular banking transactions.
Furthermore, investigators claimed that after his retirement, despite the existing FIR and Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), Dutta transferred 3.7 lakh shares of Ishaan Commercial Private Limited from purported fictitious shareholders to his name, making him a majority shareholder in the company, which owns the three seized hotels.
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