Ex-IAS couple sent to prison for laundering

Bhopal, July 28

A former IAS couple, Arvind Joshi and Tinoo Joshi, has been sent to prison in a money laundering case after they surrendered before a court here.

Judge Alok Awasthi of the special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) sent the Joshis to judicial custody last evening.

The court granted bail to Arvind Joshi's parents--Nirmala Joshi (88) and HM Joshi (92)--against a surety of Rs 50,000 each in view of their old age, said an Enforcement Directorate (ED) official.

Joshi's parents are co-accused in the case. The court had issued a warrant against the accused on July 19 in connection with a case filed by the ED under the PMLA.

Arvind and Tinoo were dismissed from service in 2014 for allegedly amassing wealth disproportionate to their known sources of income.

During a raid at their house in Bhopal in 2010, Income Tax officials allegedly found Rs 3.03 crore in cash. The Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta Police also filed a separate case against the couple for allegedly amassing assets worth a whopping Rs 41.87 crore. The couple has not been convicted in these cases yet.

The ED, in its chargesheet, has accused them of laundering some of the ill-gotten wealth through dubious transactions. PTI