Subsequent to the filing of a Prosecution Complaint by the Enforcement Directorate ED, the Hon’ble Special Court, PMLA, Lucknow has convicted two accused persons namely Vishal Sharma @ Shivash Pathak and Naim Khan @ R K Mishra for the offence of money laundering involving fraud committed by them on Central Bank of India and Allahabad Bank by obtaining loan against forged “Kisan Vikas Patra” fraudulently procured from the post office by using Fake IDs and Addresses. The accused were sentenced to three years of hard imprisonment and a fine of 50,000/- for the offence committed by them on 27/10/2023 u/s 3 r/w 4 of the PMLA and were remanded to the District Jail, Lucknow.
The ED launched an inquiry based on four FIRs filed by the CBI in Lucknow under different sections of the IPC, 1860 against various people, including the two convicted individuals. According to the FIR, the above-mentioned accused couple, together with other accused people including postal employees, defrauded the Central Bank of India and Allahabad Bank to the tune of 2.87 crore by getting loans against the fabricated “Kisan Vikas Patra” by using fictitious IDs and addresses.
On 17/03/2018, proceeds of crime in the form of five immovable assets (flats, stores, residential residences, and agricultural land) totalling 2.87 crore were attached during an ED probe under the PMLA. On 11/04/2018, a Prosecution Complaint was filed under Section 45 of the PMLA against four people, including the convicted accused individuals Vishal Sharma @ Shivash Pathak and Naim Khan @ R K Mishra. During the trial, they pled guilty to the charge of money laundering.
Following their pleas, Special Judge Sh. Ajay Vikram Singh, HJS convicted the accused to three years of rigorous imprisonment and levied a fine of 50,000/- u/s 3 & 4 of the PMLA on October 27, 2023, and sent them to the District Jail, Lucknow. Other accused people are now on trial.
