The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday took possession of a 17-acre farm house in Mandwa in Raigad, belonging to Mandwa Farms Pvt Ltd controlled by Vijay Mallya. The action comes after a notice challenging the attachment of the farm house was dismissed by the Appellate Tribunal in New Delhi earlier this week.
Mr. Mallya has been booked by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, in connection with the ₹900 crore loan that he took from the IDBI bank, and is wanted in the case.
ED officials said in September last year, the property, which is worth over ₹100 crore, was provisionally attached by the agency and the attachment was confirmed by the court in February. The ED subsequently issued an eviction notice to Mandwa Farms, instructing them to vacate the premises on April 25.
However, the company approached the Appellate Tribunal, challenging the eviction notice and claiming that it is an independent entity. On Tuesday, the Tribunal ruled in the ED’s favour. “Accordingly, peaceful possession of the property was taken by the ED on Thursday,” said an ED officer.
