Why the ED decided to attach 3 chimpanzees as part of its money laundering probe
New Delhi, Sep 22: In a bizarre move, the Enforcement Directorate attached three chimpanzees and four marmosets as part of a money-laundering probe against a wildlife smuggler of West Bengal.
The central agency, which probes serious money laundering crimes, said the chimpanzees that were seized by customs from the smuggler's house were being kept at the Alipore Zoological Garden in Kolkata.
They have become a major attraction for visitors and hence, a source of revenue too, it said, adding that the marmosets were being kept at an animal shelter.
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The agency said the first-of-its-kind attachment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) "enabled" the zoo authorities to retain the animals as the smuggler was making attempts to take them away.
An attachment by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) renders an asset out of bounds for its owner and it can be further confiscated by the agency after the Adjudicating Authority of the PMLA, a quasi-judicial body, approves the attachment within 180 days.
The agency said the seven animals are valued at Rs 81 lakh, with each chimpanzee worth Rs 25 lakh and a marmoset, a species of small long-tailed South American monkeys, about Rs 1.5 lakh.
The case pertains to West Bengal government's complaint against alleged smuggler Supradip Guha for "illegal possession" of wild animals.
The
ED
said
the
state
police
had
booked
Guha
for
"forgery
and
using
forged
documents
as
genuine
as
he
was
found
using
a
forged
permission
letter
to
illegally
transport
the
wildlife
birds
purportedly
issued
by
the
Principal
Chief
Conservator
of
Forests,
WildLife
and
Chief
Wildlife
Warden,
West
Bengal."
It
took
over
the
case
under
PMLA
based
on
the
police
FIR.
The ED said its probe found Guha was "running an organised wildlife smuggling racket".
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He is a clever criminal and recorded contradictory statements before the customs authorities and wildlife authorities to evade action from both the departments, it alleged.
Guha also obtained fake certificates regarding birth of the three chimpanzees in India, ED said.
"This attachment has enabled the zoo authorities to keep the animals with them. The action by the ED will deter dealers against indulging in illegal trade of animals and wildlife," it said.