Mumbai, Oct 9: The ED arrested two accused in fresh action against a trans-national organised narcotics trafficking syndicate operated by fugitive don Dawood Ibrahim’s aide Salim Ismail Dola and his associates, an official said on Friday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Mumbai Zonal Office, arrested Pravin alias Nagesh Ramchandra Shinde and Brijesh Kanjibhai Moradiya under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED investigation was initiated based on multiple FIRs registered by various law enforcement agencies in Mumbai against Salim Dola and others for offences relating to illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

The investigation conducted so far has revealed the existence of a highly organised trans-national criminal network engaged in procurement of precursor chemicals, clandestine manufacture of Mephedrone (MD), interstate transportation and distribution of narcotic drugs, international trafficking of narcotic substances, collection and layering of proceeds of crime through hawala channels, and acquisition of movable and immovable assets in the names of associates and other persons, the ED said in a statement.

Investigation revealed that Pravin alias Nagesh Ramchandra Shinde was involved in the illegal clandestine manufacturing of MD and in activities connected with generation, handling, possession, utilisation and movement of proceeds derived from illicit sale of the said narcotic substance, the ED said.

Investigation has further revealed that the illicit proceeds were used to acquire immovable properties and other assets in the names of persons closely associated with him, it said.

The investigation also revealed that Brijesh Moradiya was involved in arranging the procurement and supply of the precursor chemical used for the illicit manufacture of MD.

The cash received from Salim Dola through the Angadiya channel for procuring the precursor chemical was deposited and routed through multiple third-party/family accounts and entities controlled/arranged by him and his associates, then transferred through the banking channel to various chemical companies/entities, thereby facilitating procurement of the precursor chemical.

Simultaneously, amounts involved in these transactions were received by Brijesh Moradiya and his associates/family accounts in the guise of commission from the sale of the chemical and the same were thereafter further transferred, layered and utilised.

The ED had earlier conducted search operations at 21 locations across Mumbai, Surat, Ankleshwar and Rajkot on June 2, 2026 and June 3, 2026 in this case and had covered the entire spectrum of the organised narcotics network of Salim Dola targeting end-to-end nodes of the syndicate including precursor chemical suppliers, chemical traders, manufacturers/distributors of the synthetic narcotic drug Mephedrone (MD), Hawala Operators and persons holding benami properties worth crores of rupees acquired from proceeds generated through the organised drug syndicate.

The searches resulted in the seizure and freezing of cash, foreign currency, gold bars, and bank balances valued at Rs 1.33 crore (approx.), along with $2,200. Additionally, documents relating to immovable properties worth several crores of rupees located in India and Dubai were recovered, indicating substantial investments made from the proceeds of the organised drug syndicate, the statement said.

Greater Noida, Oct 9: Nearly a week after a young man jumped to his death from the 43rd floor of Noida’s Supernova building in Sector 94, sending shockwaves in the area, a 36-year-old man died after falling from the 12th floor of a residential society in Greater Noida West on Friday, with his family telling police that he had been struggling with depression, officials said.

The deceased was identified as Anil Kumar, son of Santosh Kumar, a resident of Ace Divino Society under the Bisrakh police station limits. He originally hailed from Prithvipur village in Madhya Pradesh’s Niwari district.

According to police, they received information about the incident on Friday and sent a team to the spot. The personnel gathered details about the incident and completed the identification process.

Police subsequently took custody of the body, completed the inquest proceedings and sent it for post-mortem examination.

During preliminary enquiries, the deceased’s family told police that Kumar had been experiencing depression for some time. However, police are still examining the circumstances leading to the incident, and the family’s statement alone does not establish the cause of the fall.

Police said further legal formalities were underway. More details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses and the post-mortem examination is completed.

Earlier, on October 3, Sambhav Jain jumped from the 43rd floor of Noida’s Supernova building in Sector 94. The 29-year-old man was a resident of Manesar in Haryana’s Gurugram.

Meanwhile, according to preliminary information received earlier, the impact of the fall was such that the victim’s body was severed into two pieces. A sound resembling a bomb blast was reportedly heard in the complex due to the impact of the fall.

According to reports, the young man who committed suicide was staying at Supernova’s AIR BNB and committed suicide as he was depressed after his divorce and his baby’s illness that had resulted in mounting medical bills.

In another case of suicide reported last month, a first-year MCA student hanged himself in his room in Sector Alpha-2, under the jurisdiction of the Beta-2 Police Station in Greater Noida.

He had reportedly moved to Noida about a month prior to the incident and was pursuing his first-year MCA course through online classes.

Mumbai, Oct 8: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached immovable properties in Mumbai, Pune and Raigad (Maharashtra) worth Rs 567.45 crore in connection with a Rs 48,000 crore collective investment scheme operated by Pearls Agrotech Corporation Limited (PACL) for development of farm land, an official said on Thursday.

The PACL’s properties were attached by ED’s Delhi Zonal Office under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED has attached 48 immovable properties held in the names of Prateek Kumar, Ansh Prateek Kumar, and entities namely Beaming Infradevelopers, Ganraj Properties, and Greenfield Estates Limited, having a current market value of Rs 567.45 crore.

With this attachment, the ED has so far attached movable and immovable properties worth around Rs 30,235.21 crore, including assets located in India and abroad.

The ED’s investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in New Delhi under Sections 120-B and 420 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, dealing with conspiracy and cheating.

Subsequently, the CBI filed a charge sheet and a supplementary charge sheet against 33 accused for their role in running an illegal investment scheme.

According to the charge sheets, the accused entities and individuals operated a massive illegal collective investment scheme, fraudulently mobilising more than Rs 48,000 crore from lakhs of investors across India under the pretext of sale and development of agricultural land.

Investors were induced to invest through cash down payment and instalment payment plans and were made to sign misleading documents such as agreements, powers of attorney and other instruments.

“In most cases, land was never delivered, resulting in unpaid investor dues of around Rs 48,000 crore,” the ED said.

The ED recorded an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in the case in 2016 and filed a charge sheet in 2018, followed by six supplementary charge sheets in 2022, 2025 and 2026 against the various accused.

“Prateek Kumar was arraigned as an accused (A-13) in the First Supplementary charge sheet dated August 20, 2022, filed in the case immediately, where cognisance was taken by the Special Court vide order dated September 19, 2022,” the ED added.

Subsequently, an open-ended Non-Bailable Warrant (NBW) was issued against Prateek Kumar by the Special Court on April 9, 2025.

These entities are beneficially owned and controlled by Prateek Kumar.

The investigation revealed that these immovable properties were purchased using funds diverted from PACL, which had originally collected money from gullible investors, thereby constituting proceeds of crime.