Jalandhar, Dec 15: In a money laundering probe related to an environmental crime, the Enforcement Directorate attached properties, including land, building and plant and machinery, worth Rs 79.93 crore belonging to a Punjab-based company involved in water pollution, an official said on Monday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Jalandhar Zonal Office, provisionally attached the immovable properties of Malbros International Pvt Ltd on Saturday in the money laundering investigation related to environmental crime, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED initiated an investigation based on a criminal complaint filed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board against Malbros International for violating the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, by injection of untreated wastewater through reverse boring into deep aquifers.

The ED investigation revealed that the company (with its industrial unit at village Mansoorwal, Tehsil Zira, District Ferozepur) was involved in the generation and acquisition of Proceeds of Crime by deliberately causing pollution of groundwater by persistently and covertly injecting untreated effluents into deep aquifers through reverse boring.

The company was also accused of repeatedly discharging wastewater onto land, drains, and an adjacent sugar mill.

Its daily functioning involved persistent illegal discharge of untreated effluents into land and groundwater, causing large-scale irreparable ecological damage in the form of water pollution and consequent health hazards, causing crop loss, cattle deaths and serious health impacts for residents of villages around its premises, said a statement.

Earlier, searches were conducted at six locations on July 16, 2024, and an amount of Rs 78.15 lakh cash was seized from the premises of Malbros International Pvt Ltd and its Directors under the provisions of Section 17 of the PMLA, 2002.

In a separate case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Shimla, teams conducted search operations at eight premises located in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab on Saturday in connection with an ongoing investigation into a large-scale fake/fictitious cryptocurrency-based Ponzi/Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) scam.

The perpetrators of the scam allegedly duped lakhs of investors belonging to the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the tune of Rs 2,300 crore

The search operations conducted by the ED resulted in the freezing of three lockers and bank balances/fixed deposits totalling Rs 1.2 crore.

The ED also recovered incriminating documents relating to investments made in numerous immovable properties, including benami properties, which were acquired by the accused individuals by utilising proceeds of crime (PoC) generated through the Ponzi scheme.

Mumbai: In a tragic incident, a fatal road accident on the Mumbai–Goa Highway claimed the lives of a father and his son after their car rammed into the back of a container trailer in the early hours of Saturday, December 14. The incident occurred when the father-son duo were heading to their home in Raigad’s Goregaon from Mumbai airport.

Citing the police, the Media reported that four passengers were seated in the sedan that crashed into the container trailer. The deceased father has been identified as 58-year-old Sajjad Sarkhot, and his 25-year-old son, Owais, while driver, Usman, and another passenger, 20-year-old Sarjit, suffered minor injuries. The video shared by NavaRashtra showed the wrecked car, highlighting the extent of the damage and also indicating the severity of the crash.

While sharing information on the accident, Constable Mangesh Patil of Kolad informed Media that the t-permit sedan belonged to Usman, who was a friend of the Owais. Owais had accompanied Usman to pick up his father from Mumbai airport, who had returned from Qatar after attending a marriage function.

The police informed that Sajjad and Sarjat were seated in the rear seat while Owais was seated beside the driver, Usman. As the sedan’s left side of the vehicle crashed into the rear end of the container trailer, which led to fatal injuries to the father and son.

an FIR is set to be registered against Usman for rash and negligent driving.

In another tragic incident on Saturday, a seven-year-old boy, Harsh Thori, tragically died after a two-wheeler accident caused by a pothole on the Parol-Shirsad-Ambadi road. The child succumbed to his injuries after being run over by a heavy vehicle’s wheel.

Due to the ban on heavy vehicles entering Thane city since Friday night, the Parol-Bhiwandi route has been permitted as an alternative. This has significantly increased the volume of heavy traffic on the already narrow road. The deteriorating condition of the road, combined with the heavy vehicles, frequently leads to severe traffic congestion.

New Delhi, Dec 15: The government on Monday said it has released Rs 260.20 crore to rural local bodies in Kerala as part of the 15th Finance Commission grants for the financial year 2025-26.

The amount represents the first instalment of untied grants and covers all 14 district panchayats, 152 block panchayats and 9,414 gram panchayats (GPs) in the state, according to an official statement.

Untied grants are meant to be utilised by rural local bodies/PRIs for location-specific felt needs under the 29 subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution, except for salaries and other establishment expenditures.

Tied Grants, on the other hand, are earmarked for basic services relating to sanitation and maintenance of ODF (open defecation-free) status, including management and treatment of household waste, human excreta and faecal sludge, and supply of drinking water, rainwater harvesting, and water recycling.

Last week, the government released Rs 717.17 crore to strengthen rural local bodies in Maharashtra as part of the first instalment of untied grants for the financial year 2025-26. The funds were released to duly elected and eligible rural local bodies in the state, covering two district panchayats (Zilla Parishads), 15 block panchayats (panchayat samitis), and 26,544 gram panchayats.

The government, through the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Ministry of Jal Shakti (Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation), recommends release of 15th Finance Commission grants to states for Panchayati Raj Institutions, which are then released by the Ministry of Finance.

The allocated grants are recommended and released in two instalments in a financial year.

Earlier in November this year, the Centre released over Rs 223 crore for rural local bodies in Assam and another Rs 444.38 crore to strengthen panchayat bodies in Odisha as part of the 15th Finance Commission grants.