In a case related to the suspected diversion of public monies received in the name of Covid in 2021, the Hemkunt Foundation’s assets worth more than Rs 5 crore in Madhya Pradesh have been attached under the anti-money laundering statute, the Enforcement Directorate said on Thursday.
The assets, which are temporarily attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), according to a statement from the agency, include buildings and agricultural land in the Khandwa area of the state. According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), they are valued Rs. 5.37 crore.
This is a new order for the attachment of assets in the case, as the agency had already seized a Gurugram property valued at Rs 43 crore and Rs 17.32 crore in fixed deposits (FDs) belonging to the foundation.
Hemkunt Foundation reportedly received significant contributions of Rs 77.10 crore from big businesses and the general public during the second wave of Covid-19 under the guise of helping those who were afflicted. “Hemkunt Foundation diverted most of the funds thusly collected towards the assets of the foundation, such as in FDs and purchasing a land in Gurugram and construction activities,” it said.
The money laundering case is the result of a FIR filed by the Delhi Police’s Special Cell, which claimed that during the height of the second wave of the pandemic, the Foundation solicited crores of rupees from individuals and corporations under the pretense of providing Covid relief and oxygen, but the donations were diverted and used for activities that benefited the donors personally.
