The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached four properties worth approximately ₹7.30 crore belonging to Anni Bullion Traders and its associated entities in a money laundering investigation. The attached assets include three immovable properties and one movable asset located in Lucknow, Delhi and Uttarkashi.
Earlier, the agency had provisionally attached assets worth about ₹16.40 crore in the names of the company’s managing director Ajit Kumar Gupta, his wife—an Indian Forest Service officer—and other associates. Officials said the probe is ongoing and further action is likely based on financial documents and transaction trails.
The case stems from multiple FIRs alleging that the company duped investors of nearly ₹110 crore by offering attractive investment schemes. According to investigators, funds collected from investors were diverted through a network of shell entities and a credit cooperative society controlled by the same group. The money was allegedly used to purchase land and other assets in the name of Anni Bullion Industries Pvt. Ltd. and related firms.
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ED officials said the attachment also includes fixed deposits and financial instruments believed to have been created using the proceeds of crime. Prior to this action, the agency had already attached around 20 properties across Lucknow, Amethi and Delhi as part of the same investigation.
In a related development, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) arrested an additional director of another company in connection with a separate cheating case involving alleged misappropriation of crores of rupees. An FIR in that matter was originally registered in 2017 at Alam Bagh police station and later transferred to the EOW. Six accused have been arrested so far, while seven others remain absconding.
Investigators said they are reconstructing the complete money trail by examining bank accounts, property transactions and inter-company fund transfers to establish how investor funds were layered and laundered. Documents seized during searches are being analysed to identify beneficiaries and linked assets.
The ED has appealed to investors who had put money into the schemes run by the group to submit their investment documents to assist the investigation. Officials stated that strict legal action will be taken against those involved and that efforts are being made to secure and liquidate illegally acquired assets in accordance with the law to protect investor interests.
The agency indicated that more attachments and arrests could follow as the financial probe progresses and additional evidence emerges.
About the author – Rehan Khan is a law student and legal journalist with a keen interest in cybercrime, digital fraud, and emerging technology laws. He writes on the intersection of law, cybersecurity, and online safety, focusing on developments that impact individuals and institutions in India.
