Driven by a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) request from Pretoria, Indian enforcement agencies have intensified their crackdown on the controversial Gupta family. On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched coordinated raids across Dehradun, Delhi, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, targeting properties linked to Atul, Ajay, and Rajesh Gupta. Officials also searched offices connected to their associates and companies such as the World Window Group, Sahara Computers, and ITJ Retails.
One major focus was on an Ahmedabad-based shell entity, JJ Trading FZE, suspected to have acted as a conduit for laundering illicit funds across borders.
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Tracing the Shadowy Financial Trail
In Saharanpur, ED teams raided the Guptas’ ancestral home for over five hours. Documents and digital records allegedly linked to offshore accounts and layered shell structures were seized. Investigators believe these records are key to understanding a wider laundering mechanism spanning South Africa, Dubai, and India. According to sources, the Delhi-based World Window Group and JJ Trading FZE played pivotal roles in concealing fund flows and creating a complex network of financial transactions designed to obscure the money trail.
Rekindling Past Controversies
The raids also revive old controversies surrounding the family. In May 2024, Ajay Gupta and his brother-in-law were arrested in Dehradun after a local builder accused them of coercion in a note before his suicide. The family had earlier attracted public outrage in 2019 when they hosted a lavish ₹200 crore wedding in Auli, Uttarakhand. The event, which left behind nearly 24 metric tonnes of waste in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem, sparked sharp criticism from environmentalists and locals alike.
India–South Africa Cooperation
Officials say the latest action underscores growing international cooperation in tackling financial crime. By acting on Pretoria’s request, India has signaled its commitment to assisting South Africa in bringing the Guptas to account. The ED continues to examine the seized records, which may lead to asset freezes, account suspensions, and even criminal proceedings in both jurisdictions.
This development is expected to further tighten the noose around the Gupta family, who have long been accused of exploiting political connections and shadowy financial networks across continents.