Kolkata, Jul 17 (IANS): Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials have identified property worth Rs 11 crore belonging to Budhaditya Chattopadhyay, a local youth in Kolkata, who was arrested on July 11 on charges of duping individuals and firms on the pretext of getting tenders passed in the West Bengal Health Department.

Sources said the ED officials have got clues these properties were purchased with the ill-gotten proceeds.

ED officials have also got clues on how the accused minted huge amounts of money by investing in trade of exotic foreign bird species.

Sources said that the ED counsel this week updated a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on the details of the fraud perpetrated by Budhaditya Chattopadhyay.

ED officials also got permission from the court for questioning Budhaditya Chattopadhyay at the Presidency Central Correctional Home in South Kolkata where he is serving judicial custody.

As per the preliminary findings of the ED, the accused used to pretend to be a Harvard University research scholar and duped several people of crores of rupees after promising to get their tender applications with the health department passed.

After taking money from them he would disappear and they would be left running from pillar to post.

The ED started the investigation based on a case filed in the matter in 2022. As the probe proceeded, the investigating agency uncovered that the fraud had been taking place since 2019 and on July 11, they finally arrested Budhaditya Chattopadhyay.

Besides duping individuals of amounts ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,00,000, Budhaditya Chattopadhyay allegedly also duped a Bengaluru-based organisation of Rs 26 crore.

As per the estimates of ED officials, he has duped over Rs 35 crore from different individuals and entities since 2019.