In the case of M/s GDS Builders Pvt. Ltd., its director Uma Sankar Patro, and others, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has temporarily attached properties worth Rs. 19,67,23,027/- under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). The connected properties comprise mobile assets totalling Rs 9,49,657/- in bank balances and mutual fund balances and 57 immovable assets worth Rs 19,57,73,370/- scattered across Puri and Bhubaneswar.
ED launched an investigation based on three FIRs filed by ACB, CBI, Bhubaneswar under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act against Uma Shankar Patro, the Director of M/s GDS Builders Pvt. Ltd., three officers of United Bank of India (UBI), Nayapalli Branch, Bhubaneswar, and private individual borrowers, for which chargesheets were later filed by CBI.
According to an ED investigation, the accused bank employees of UBI conspired illegally with Uma Shankar Patro and the accused borrowers to get home loans in 2017. Uma Shankar Patro and his family members looted around Rs. 18.79 crore from the government. It was also discovered that Uma Sankar Patro, through his jewellery company M/s. Dwarka Jewellers had fraudulently obtained a Cash Credit loan from Indian Bank (formerly Allahabad Bank), Bhubaneswar, causing the bank to suffer a significant financial loss of Rs. 7.14 Crore. Uma Sankar Patro misused the money by depositing it into the bank accounts of M/s. GDS Builders Pvt. Ltd.
On May 18, 2023, the ED had previously conducted searches in this matter at eight locations belonging to Uma Shankar Patro and her associates, seizing cash totalling Rs. 15 Lakhs, gold jewellery weighing 1.978 Kg (worth Rs. 1.30 Crore), some incriminating papers, and an electronic gadget. Further research is now being conducted.
