The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is one of the most powerful agencies investigating high-profile corruption and money laundering cases, including bank frauds and corporate scams. Here are some of the cases:
Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) payment of interests
The case: IL&FS, with over Rs 91,000 crore debts and a severe liquidity crisis, defaulted on payment of interests.
Start of probe: February 2019
Status: In August, the agency filed its first charge-sheet, naming former IL&FS group chairman Ravi Parthasarthy, ex-CEO Ramesh C. Bawa, former vice-chairman Hari Sankaran, former IFIN joint director Arun K. Saha, formerITNL managing director K. Ramchand and Siva Group chairman C. Sivasankaran.
PNB scam
The case: Diamantaires Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, with the help of PNB officials, used fake bank guarantees worth Rs 11,000 crore to obtain loans from overseas branches of Indian banks
Start of probe: February 2018
Status: ED attached several assets of Modi and Choksi; Modi is in jail in the UK, Choksi is in Antigua and Barbuda; the ED is fighting for their extradition.
Vijay Mallya bank loan default
The case: Bank officials colluded with Kingfisher Airlines' promoters to sanction huge loans despite an adverse internal audit report; the company owed about Rs 7,800 crore to a State Bank of India-led consortium.
Start of probe: March 2016
Status: Mallya fled to the UK in 2017; The UK has recently approved his extradition, but the matter is pending with its Home Office
Saradha chit fund scam
The case: An umbrella company with 200 private players, the Saradha group in West Bengal allegedly cheated more than a million investors with ponzi schemes; the scam is worth over Rs 10,000 crore
Start of probe: April 2013
Status: The ED has filed a criminal complaint against former Trinamool Congress MP Srinjoy Bose, former Union minister Matang Sinh and his estranged wife and Saradha chief Sudipta Sen, besides six others.
Rose Valley chit fund case
The case: The Rose Valley group alleged floated 27 companies to run chit funds; the ED estimates Rs 17,520 crore was raised from investors, who were cheated
Start of probe: May 2014
Status: Rose Valley chairman Gautam Kundu was arrested in 2015; a charge-sheet has been filed
AugustaWestland VVIP chopper scam
The case: Middlemen, on behalf of the helicopter manufacturer, allegedly bribed officials and politicians to secure a deal to supply helicopters for the PM, top politicians
Start of probe: June 2014
Status: Kingpin Christian Michel is in jail; the charge-sheet names more than 30 people, including former IAF chief S.P. Tyagi; ED arrested MP CM Kamal Nath's nephew Ratul Puri
Coal blocks allocation scam
The case: In March 2012, a CAG draft report accused the UPA government of 'inefficient' allocation of coal blocks in 2004-2009, and estimated the windfall gains to allottees at Rs 10.7 lakh crore
Start of probe: April 2014
Status: The ED has filed several charge-sheets; former Jharkhand minister Hari Narayan Rai has been convicted
INX Media case
The case: Alleged irregularities were committed in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to INX Media in 2008; payments were allegedly made to a firm associated with P. Chidambaram's son Karti at the time the finance ministry granted FIPB approval
Start of probe: October 2017
Status: The ED has filed a charge-sheet against Chidambaram and Karti, both got anticipatory bail Aircel-Maxis case
The case: The case related to alleged irregularities in FIPB approval to Aircel-Maxis; Chidambaram was finance minister and Karti allegedly got a stake in Aircel
Start of probe: October 2011 Status: the ED has filed a charge-sheet against Chidambaram and Krati, both got anticipatory bail. Sterling Biotech Bank fraud The case: Rs 8,100 crore bank loan fraud. The Vadodara firm and its main promoters are accused of siphoning bank loans for personal purposes and diverting them to their oil business in Nigeria.
Start of probe: October 2017
Status: Main accused Sandesara brothers are absconding; Delhi-based businessman Gagan Dhawan and a Ranjit Malik aka Johny have been arrested for their role in this case; another accused, Hitesh Patel, was nabbed in Albania in March
Aviation scam
The case: Criminal cases filed to probe allegations of irregularities and money-laundering in at least four deals signed during UPA rule, including Air India-Indian Airlines merger
Start of probe: October 2018
Status: P.Chidambaram and former aviation minister Praful Patel of NCP have been interrogated ICICI Bank-Videocon loan scam
The case: The ED is examining whether former ICICI Bank MD Chanda Kochhar made personal gains through alleged irregularities in the release of loans to the Videocon group in 2012
Start of probe: February 2019 Status: The ED summoned Kochhar thrice; she has not turned up yet.