Virbhadra case: LIC agent's judicial custody extended till August 9

New Delhi, July 27: A special court here on Tuesday extended the judicial custody, till August 9, of LIC agent Anand Chauhan, accused of instrumental in laundering disproportionate assets of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Special Judge Vinod Kumar extended the judicial custody of Chauhan after he was presented before it on expiry of his earlier 14 day judicial custody.

The court fixed August 2 to hear further argument on his bail plea.

Earlier Enforcement Directorate (ED) prosecutor Navin Kumar Matta has argued that if Chauhan is freed on bail, he may try to interfere the ongoing proceedings by attempting to conceal, destroy and transfer the proceeds of crime involved in the offence.

Chauhan is accused of investing Virbhadra Singh's "tainted" money of Rs 5 crore in LIC policies purchased in Virbhadra's name and those of his family members, including wife Pratibha Singh.

The ED arrested Chauhan on July 8 from Chandigarh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

This is the first arrest by the ED in the money laundering case against the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister.

The ED reportedly found that Virbhadra Singh had accumulated assets worth Rs 6.03 crore in his name and in the name of his family members, which were disproportionate to his known sources of income, during his tenure as the Union Steel Minister from 2009 to 2011.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also investigating the case.

IANS