ED attaches 14 properties worth 11cr in Godhra

Ahmedabad: Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Ahmedabad zonal office, issued a provisional attachment order (PAO) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with an investigation against Arif Ali Amjad Ali Khan and others. It attached a total of 14 immovable properties worth approximately Rs 11.3 crore in Godhra, according to a release by ED on Thursday.ED initiated the investigation based on an FIR by RFO Mandvi South Range of Surat forest division in the matter of illegal smuggling of khair wood, in contravention of the Wildlife Protection Act. "The main allegations in the criminal case are that the persons, namely Mustaq Adam Tasiya, Moh Tahir Ahmed Hussain and others, were involved in the illegal cutting of khair trees from the wildlife sanctuaries in various districts of Gujarat, such as Vyara, Tapi, Surat, Valsad, Navsari and Narmada, without permission from the forest authorities," the release said. tnn