Shillong: Federal agents seized a property worth Rs 40 lakh in Meghalaya. The Directorate of Enforcement targeted the asset in a corruption probe. The site belongs to Ismail R. Marak, a former Member of the District Council for the Asanang constituency. Investigators claim he siphoned development cash meant for Garo Hills.
The trouble started with a 2019 Lokayukta complaint. The Garo Hills Autonomous District Council received Rs 28.66 crore in grants. Records show Rs 1 crore went to Asanang for 49 projects that never happened. Officials bypassed financial rules to pay contractors Kubon Sangma and Nikseng Sangma. They used forged signatures to push through the advance payments. The cash vanished quickly.
The ED tracked Rs 52.60 lakh in dirty money. Marak pocketed Rs 19.60 lakh in cash. His wife, Pratibha Marak, received Rs 33 lakh through the contractors. Agents previously froze bank accounts containing Rs 16.38 lakh to secure the assets. The agency stated that the "attached property represents the value thereof of the identified proceeds of crime." Searches took place in December. The investigation remains active.
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