Kolkata, July 14 (Reporter) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested two top Sahara Group officials -- Anil Vailaparampil Abraham, executive director of Core Management (CCM) Office, and Jitendra Prasad Verma, a long-time associate and property broker of the Sahara Group -- in an alleged money laundering case. The arrest was made in the case of Sahara India and its group entities under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The ED in a statement said Anil V Abraham played a key role in coordinating and facilitating the sale of Sahara Group properties, many of which involved substantial unaccounted cash components that were siphoned. It also said JP Verma was actively involved in executing several of these property transactions and knowingly assisted in routing large cash proceeds generated from these sale transactions, thereby contributing to the concealment and dissipation of Proceeds of Crime (POC). The Central agency also seized many incriminating evidences that were recovered during the search actions conducted under provisions of PMLA. "Such evidence suggested that the properties of the Sahara group were being disposed of one by one in a clandestine manner. It was also found from the various digital evidence that these 2 persons had played a key role in disposal of such properties and assisting the promoters of Sahara group in siphoning off the funds," the ED said. The promoters were found involved in such malpractices while remaining outside India. The anti-laundering agency began investigation based on three FIRs registered under Sections 420 and 120B of the IPC, 1860 against Humara India Credit Cooperative Society Ltd. (HICCSL) and others by police in Odisha, Bihar, and Rajasthan. Over 500 FIRs have been registered against various Sahara Group entities, with more than 300 involving scheduled offences under the PMLA, alleging large-scale cheating of depositors through forced re-deposits and denial of maturity payments. The probe also revealed that Sahara Group was operating a ponzi scheme through entities like HICCSL, SCCSL, SUMCS, SMCSL, SICCL, SIRECL, SHICL, and others by luring depositors and agents with promises of high returns and commissions. The funds were managed in an unregulated manner without depositor oversight, maturity proceeds were not repaid instead reinvested under coercion or misrepresentation, and books were manipulated to camouflage such non-repayments. Despite financial incapacity, the group continued to collect fresh deposits, part of which was siphoned for benami assets and personal expenses. The assets of the group were also sold for partial cash payments, further denying rightful claims of depositors. During investigations, statements of various persons, including depositors, agents, employees of Sahara Group and other related persons have been recorded under Section 50 of PMLA, ED said. Searches were conducted under section 17 of PMLA wherein cash of Rs. 2.98 crore was seized. Two attachment orders in the instant case have been issued attaching 707 acres of land having approximate market value of Rs1,460 crore in Aamby Valley and 1,023 acres of land having approximate value of Rs 1,538 crore in Sahara Prime City Ltd...////...