Lucknow: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued the third consecutive summons to Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer Niharika Singh asking her to appear before the agency by August 24 in connection with her alleged role in the Rs 600 crore Anee Bullion Industry (ABI) scam.
Niharika is the wife of ABI owner Ajit Kumar Gupta and is presently posted in Indonesia. The second summon was issued after IFS Niharika failed to turn up on the first time till the July 15 deadline.
Sources in the ED added that they have received an email from the IFS officer, wherein she claimed that she was busy with official work and won’t be able to come to the office.
Sources said that sufficient time has been given to her for an appearance and even then, if the IFS officer does not turn up then we have the option of moving to the court and securing a non bailable warrant.
The ED had lodged a money laundering case against ABI in 2019 based on 30 FIRs and complaints registered by UP Police against Ajit. ED had issued the first summons to appear on July 10 and then another summons on August 1.
The UP STF along with Lucknow Police arrested Ajit on July 16, 2020. During investigations, Niharika’s role had also come under the scanner. Later in 2021, the ED added the IFS officer’s name to the PMLA case.
Sources said, during the probe against Ajit, some dealings and transfer of money involving his officer’s wife also came under the scanner and now it needs to be verified by her.
The firm also duped investors by showing forged documents of land/plots being registered in the name of the companies. But there was no land registered, the ED added.
