Maharashtra PDS Foodgrain Scam: ED Attaches Assets Worth ₹4.06 Cr Of India Mega Agro Anaj, Ajay Baheti and His Family Under PMLA

Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Nagpur Unit has attached immovable assets worth Rs 4.06 crore from Hingoli, Yavatmal and Nanded districts among other areas across Maharashtra in the Public Distribution System (PDS) Foodgrain Scam case involving M/s India Mega Agro Anaj Limited & others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The attached assets include immovable properties acquired by the company M/s India Mega Agro Anaj Limited, its promoters Ajay Chandraprakash Baheti and his family members, the financial probe agency said on Monday. The ED Nagpur Unit attached the assets on May 30th under the PMLA.

The ED probe is based on the First Information Report (FIR) and chargesheets filed by Police in Nanded district under various sections of IPC. During the investigation, Nanded police revealed the modus operandi that PDS food grain (wheat and rice) from the warehouses of Food Corporation of India was transported in trucks to various tehsils of Nanded district and Hingoli districts of Maharashtra.

These trucks were diverted to the factory of Ajay Baheti namely M/s India Agro Anaj Limited instead of their designated destination. Investigation reveal that the owner of India Mega Agro Anaj company- Ajay Baheti, conspired with the whole machinery of Public Distribution system (PDS), such as truck drivers, truck owners, the district place representatives taking delivery, godown keepers at Tehsil place and in districts of Nanded and Hingoli, contractors who transport rationing grains, their representatives, owners of various trading companies, middlemen etc. and misappropriated food grains meant for public distribution at subsidized rates, for personal usage.

During the investigation, the ED conducted a forensic audit, which revealed a total diversion of Rs. 55.27 crore worth of foodgrains from FCI godowns to M/s India Mega Agro Anaj Ltd, estimated as "proceeds of crime." The forensic audit report also uncovered that the accused, Ajay Baheti, manipulated the books of accounts of his company to create a paper trail for the tainted transactions and to portray the diverted grains, constituting the proceeds of the crime, as untainted. This manipulation was based on an aggregation of payments made by Ajay Baheti against bogus grain purchases from various shell entities during the check period from January 2018 to July 2018.