MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate has attached assets of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel's son-in-law, Dino Morea, Sanjay Khan, and DJ Aqeel in a money laundering case that involves pharmaceutical company Sterling Biotech group. A provisional order has been issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach the assets of the four people that are worth Rs 8.79 crores.
Out of this, the value of attachment of assets for Sanjay is Rs 3 crores; for Dino Morea, it is Rs 1.4 crores; for Aqeel Abdulkhalil Bachooali, popularly known as DJ Aqeel, it is Rs 1.98 crores; and for Irfan Ahmed Siddiqui, who is Patel's son-in-law, it is Rs 2.41 crores.

The ED said that Nitin Sandesara and Chetan Sandesara, absconding promoters of the Sterling Biotech group, have "diverted" proceeds of crime to these four people.

The promoter brothers Nitin Sandesara, Chetan Sandesara, Chetan's wife DiSandesara and Hitesh Patel have been declared fugitive economic offenders by a special court, it said.

The money-laundering case pertains to the alleged Rs 14,500-crore bank-loan fraud said to have been perpetrated by Sterling Biotech and its main promoters and directors.

Credits: TOI