ED’s seizures increase by 170% to ₹81k
Announcing the figures at the directorate’s 70th Foundation Day event in New Delhi on Friday, ED Director Rahul Naveen said: “I am happy to share that during the last financial year, the ED has seized assets worth ₹81,422 crore, an increase of 170 per cent over the previous year. The total provisional attachments made by the ED so far now stand at ₹2,36,017 crore.”
Naveen said that in general, confiscation of the proceeds of crime and consequent compensation to victims of crime can happen only after the conclusion of the trial and conviction of the accused, which in many cases takes a long time. To address this, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was amended in 2019 to provide for non-conviction-based confiscation (NCBC) and restitution of criminal proceeds during trial on satisfaction of certain conditions.
“The directorate has used these provisions to return Rs 63,142 crore to victims and real owners like banks, investors and home buyers. Behind every one of these figures is a family or institution that had lost hope of getting back their rights,” the director said.
In a landmark real estate case in Udaipur, the ED helped over 200 home buyers release attached properties, an effort that was lauded by the Supreme Court. He said that in the case of PACL Ltd, assets worth about ₹15,581 crore have been restored through the Justice RM Lodha committee for distribution to hundreds of thousands of investors. The ED filed 812 prosecution complaints, including 155 supplementary complaints, under the PMLA during this financial year – almost double that of the previous year. To put this in perspective, more than 41 per cent of all prosecution complaints filed by the ED so far have been filed in the last two years.
The ED has a conviction rate of 94 per cent and is confident that in most of the more than 2,400 cases pending before the trial courts, the accused will be convicted and the proceeds of crime confiscated. Under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, proceedings have been initiated against 54 persons, of whom 21 have been declared fugitive economic offenders. Assets worth ₹2,178 crore have been seized under the Act.
Naveen said that a few years ago, enforcement work mainly focused on bank frauds, large corporate scams and real estate frauds. Sustained action by investigating agencies and historic government initiatives have led to a clear decline in such crimes.
“Today, the criminal landscape is defined by cryptocurrency fraud, cyber-enabled financial crimes, terror financing, anti-national activities and drug trafficking. The Directorate has proactively adapted to this change. We have given high priority to narcotics-related investigations by adopting a targeted financial disruption strategy…” he said.
On the institutional front, the Directorate introduced several measures to increase transparency and accountability. A QR code-based system has been implemented to verify the summons issued by the Directorate through the official website, thereby preventing misuse, impersonation and circulation of fake summons by unscrupulous elements.
All legacy cases under the repealed Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) have been adjudicated, and the Directorate expects all criminal cases to also be adjudicated in the next few months. There was a renewed focus on reducing the backlog of FEMA adjudications. Since FEMA is a civil offence, most of the investigations conducted by the ED can be complex. Proactive action has been taken in coordination with RBI for compounding and to bring certainty and finality in the investigation initiated by the Directorate.
On the international front, India now chairs the steering group of ARIN-AP, the Asia/Pacific Asset Recovery Interagency Network, and will host its Annual General Meeting in 2026. The country is also preparing to host the GLOBE Plenary in 2028. The Enforcement Directorate will serve as the focal point for the BRICS Asset Recovery Network during India’s Chairmanship in 2026.
