Guwahati: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth ₹2.40 crore in connection with a disproportionate assets case against Karun Jyoti Baruah, former Superintendent Engineer (Civil) of Oil India Limited (OIL) at Duliajan in Assam’s Dibrugarh district.
According to an official statement issued by the ED’s Guwahati Zonal Office on Wednesday, the attachment has been made under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as part of an ongoing probe into alleged corruption and money laundering during Baruah’s tenure.
The attached properties include 67 Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) policies valued at ₹1.96 crore, along with an RCC residential building and a covered garage estimated to be worth ₹43.99 lakh.
The ED’s investigation stems from an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Anti-Corruption Branch, Guwahati, which had booked Baruah under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The CBI later filed a chargesheet in the case.
As per the chargesheet, during a check period from April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2019, Baruah was found to be in possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, amounting to approximately ₹2.39 crore.
The ED’s financial investigation revealed that Baruah had allegedly purchased 44 LIC policies worth around ₹62.84 lakh in cash, a move the agency claims was intended to conceal the money trail. These policies were taken either in his own name or in the names of family members who, according to the ED, did not have sufficient or corresponding sources of income.
The probe further found that several additional LIC policies were purchased through banking channels. However, Baruah reportedly failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for how such a large number of insurance investments could have been financed through his legitimate earnings.
Investigators also noted that during the same period, Baruah constructed an RCC residential house along with a covered garage, at an estimated cost of ₹43.99 lakh, which the ED alleges was funded through the proceeds of crime.
The Enforcement Directorate said that further investigation in the case is underway, and additional action may follow based on the outcome of the ongoing prob
