Manipur: ED attaches 13 properties worth Rs 3.92 crore in money laundering case

New Delhi/Imphal, June 27 (IANS): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached 13 immovable properties valued at Rs 3.92 crore (approx.) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in the case relating to two private farms in Manipur, the central probe agency said on Saturday.

The ED, Imphal Sub-Zonal Office, has provisionally attached 13 immovable properties valued at Rs 3.92 crore (approx.) under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002, in the case relating to M/s Birla Emporium Pvt. Ltd. and M/s Ira Finance Pvt. Ltd. The properties, located across Thoubal, Imphal East and Imphal West districts of Manipur, stand registered in the name of the company through its staff and associated persons, the ED said in a statement.

It said that the ED initiated an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the CID (Crime Branch), Imphal, under Sections 420 and 120-B IPC, 1860, which are scheduled offences under the PMLA, 2002.

Investigation revealed that M/s Birla Emporium Pvt. Ltd. and M/s Ira Finance Pvt. Ltd., controlled by Yumnam Irabanta Singh along with his associates, operated an unauthorised and unregulated deposit scheme, functioning like a bank or NBFC without any registration from the RBI, SEBI or the state authorities.

According to the statement, the entities allegedly collected about Rs 253 crore from around 5,511 investors by promising exorbitant monthly returns of 3-5 per cent, advanced roughly Rs 100 crore as loans against property, and diverted the proceeds into properties, stock-market and forex investments.

To secure the loans, the properties of borrowers were transferred by a sale deed into the names of the directors and staff, who have no genuine claim to them.

With the present action, the ED has so far attached 219 immovable properties valued at about Rs 65.5 crore in this case (206 properties worth approximately Rs 61.6 crore having earlier been attached, both of which have since been confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority under PMLA).

A Prosecution Complaint was filed before the Special PMLA Court, Imphal, on June 6, 2025, and cognizance was taken on August 18, 2025. Further investigation is in progress.