New Delhi [India], July 18 (HBTV): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached nine immovable properties located in Chandigarh, New Delhi, and Gurgaon, along with bank balances amounting to approximately INR 14.06 crore, in connection with an ongoing investigation into a disproportionate assets case involving retired IAS officer Murari Lal Tayal, former Principal Secretary to then Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and others.

The federal agency stated on Monday that the attached assets include two houses and seven apartments. The Chandigarh Zonal Office attached the properties on June 30 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED launched the investigation based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Tayal, a 1976-batch retired IAS officer.

According to the FIR, Tayal, while serving as Principal Secretary to the then Chief Minister of Haryana from March 6, 2005, to October 31, 2009, and later as a member of the Competition Commission of India from November 30, 2009, to December 31, 2014, allegedly amassed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. The check period under scrutiny spans from January 1, 2006, to December 31, 2014.

The ED examined the financial records, income tax filings, and stock market transactions of Tayal, his wife Savita Tayal, and son Kartik Tayal. The agency found that during the check period, the family had acquired assets worth approximately INR 14.06 crore using proceeds of crime generated through illegal gratification.

(ANI)