ED Attaches 9 More Properties Worth ₹3.48 Crore In Ongoing Money Laundering Investigation Into Indore Municipal Corporation Fake Bill Scam

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Indore, has provisionally attached nine immovable properties worth Rs 3.48 crore in connection with the ongoing money laundering investigation into Indore Municipal Corporation fake bill scam, officials said on Sunday.

The attached properties comprise residential houses, flats, residential plots, commercial shops and agricultural land in Indore and Dhar district. The properties are held in the names of the suspects, beneficiaries, their family members and co-owners.

The ED initiated the investigation based on multiple FIRs registered at MG Road Police Station, Indore, relating to the fraudulent withdrawal of public funds from the IMC treasury through fake bills, forged work orders, fabricated measurement books and other falsified records for works that were either not executed or had already been completed under genuine work orders.

The investigation revealed that contractor firms, in connivance with IMC officials and officials of the Local Fund Audit Resident Audit Department, prepared and processed forged work-order files and fake bills, fraudulently siphoning off Rs 103.62 crore from the IMC treasury.

The fraudulently obtained funds were subsequently withdrawn in cash, distributed among contractors, public servants and other beneficiaries, transferred to related entities, intermingled with other funds and used for acquiring assets and meeting personal expenses. Earlier, the ED had issued a provisional attachment order in July 2025, attaching 43 immovable properties worth about Rs 33.65 crore in the case.

With the latest attachment, the total value of immovable properties provisionally attached in the case has reached Rs 37.14 crore. The ED had also conducted searches on the premises linked to the suspects and associated entities, leading to the seizure and freezing of cash, valuables and other assets worth about Rs 22.04 crore.

The total attachment and seizure in the case now stands at Rs 59.18 crore. The ED had also arrested Abhay Singh Rathore, Mohd. Zakir and Rahul Badera in June 2026. The three remain in judicial custody.