ED files supplementary chargesheet in Andhra skill scam case
The Enforcement Directorate has filed a supplementary chargesheet in a Special PMLA Court in Visakhapatnam in connection with the Andhra Pradesh skill development project case. The agency has so far attached assets worth Rs 54.74 crore
Hyderabad: The ED filed a supplementary chargesheet in a Special PMLA Court in Visakhapatnam over cheating and diversion of crores of rupees invested by the Andhra Pradesh government in a skill development project involving a private company, an official said on Saturday.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Hyderabad Zonal Office, filed the Supplementary Prosecution Complaint against Vikas Khanvelkar, Suman Bose, Mukul Chandra Agarwal, Suresh Goyal and others.
The chargesheet also named a company – Designtech Systems Private Limited (DTSPL). The total attachment of properties in the case, so far, is Rs 54.74 crore, the ED said.
The Special Court, Visakhapatnam, took cognizance of the supplementary chargesheet on January 28, said an ED statement.
The agency initiated investigation on the basis of FIR registered by the Andhra Pradesh CID in the case of APSSDC Siemens Project against DTSPL and others for cheating the Andhra Pradesh government.
The accused diverted the funds invested by the state government for other purposes. The project was originally meant to promote skill development and entrepreneurship.
The ED investigation revealed that Khanvelkar, Managing Director of DTSPL, Soumyadri Sekhar Bose alias Suman Bose, ex-Managing Director of Siemens Industry Software India, and their close associates, Agarwal and Suresh Goyal diverted the government funds with the help of shell or defunct entities.
The funds were diverted through multi-layered transactions using bogus invoices under the pretext of supply of materials/services. The services of entry providers were taken for the diversion of funds for which commission was paid to them, the ED said.
During the course of investigation, the ED arrested Khanvelkar, Bose, Agarwal and Goyal on March 4, 2023, said the statement.
Fixed deposits to the extent of Rs 31.20 crore in the name of DTSPL were attached by the ED in April 2023. Subsequently, a chargesheet was filed before the Special Court, Visakhapatnam, which took its cognizance on May 2023.
Investigation by the ED led to the identification of additional Proceeds of Crime in the hands of other persons involved in the case, including the entry providers, and accordingly assets in the form of bank balances and shares as well as immovable properties in Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Pune were attached to the extent of Rs 23.54 crore. Thus, the total attachment in this case is Rs 54.74 crore.
Based on the further investigation conducted, the supplementary chargesheet was filed before the Special PMLA Court, Visakhapatnam, on Wednesday.
