ED attaches 56 residential plots in MP education scam case

Indore, June 25 (IANS) The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Indore Sub-Zonal Office, has provisionally attached 56 residential plots in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The attachment is part of an ongoing probe into the embezzlement of government funds amounting to Rs 20.47 crore from the Block Education Office (BEO), Katthiwada, in Alirajpur district, the ED said in a statement.

The ED initiated the investigation based on an FIR registered at Police Station Katthiwada concerning fraudulent treasury payments made between 2018 and 2023. Investigation revealed that the then Block Education Officer (BEO) Kamal Rathore, in connivance with other accused persons, siphoned off government funds from the treasury at Alirajpur, the statement said.

The embezzled money was routed through multiple bank accounts controlled by Rathore and his family members, withdrawn in cash, and used to purchase agricultural land in Gandhwani tehsil of Dhar district, it said.

Further probe showed that this agricultural land, acquired from the proceeds of crime, was later developed into residential plots under the project named “Shri Balaji Dham”.

The development was allegedly done to conceal the illicit origin of the funds and project the tainted property as legitimate.

The 56 provisionally attached residential plots under this project have a market value exceeding Rs 6 crore, the ED statement said.

This latest attachment adds to earlier enforcement actions. Previous searches conducted under PMLA led to the seizure of incriminating documents and freezing of bank accounts.

Accused Kamal Rathore was arrested for his role in money laundering. In an earlier move, assets worth Rs 4.43 crore belonging to the accused were provisionally attached, and the attachment was later confirmed by the competent authority on March 10.

A Prosecution Complaint was also filed before the Special Court (PMLA), Indore, on September 29, 2025, against Kamal Rathore and other accused persons.

The case highlights a sophisticated money laundering operation where public funds meant for education were allegedly diverted for personal gains through land development.

The attached properties are now under ED control, preventing any sale or transfer.

Further investigation is in progress to trace the full extent of the money trail, identify additional beneficiaries, and recover more proceeds of crime.

–IANS

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