Hyderabad: The Hyderabad unit of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed the highest number of prosecution complaints under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the country during the 2024-25 financial year. However, despite the surge in filings, the number of arrests declined sharply, with only one person taken into custody, compared to ten arrests in the previous year.
According to TOI reports, the Hyderabad ED filed 49 prosecution complaints in 2024-25, up from 40 the previous year, making it the highest by any zone in the country. During the same period, the unit also carried out 43 provisional attachments, more than double the 19 recorded in 2023-24.
The total value of properties attached in money laundering cases climbed to Rs 916 crore, an increase from Rs 750 crore in the previous financial year.
The unit was involved in several prominent investigations over the year. A supplementary prosecution complaint was filed against Nowhera Shaik in connection with the alleged Heera Group Ponzi scheme case. The ED also pursued cases related to alleged irregularities in PG medical admissions, an illegal pharmacy racket dealing in unregulated drugs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and a money laundering case connected to the Lucent drugs case.
Enforcement action was initiated in money laundering investigations involving Sahithi Infra, Transtroy, and the alleged misappropriation of funds in the Hyderabad Cricket Association. The Hyderabad unit also handled two cases initially registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) concerning Bangladesh-linked human trafficking.
Further, the number of Enforcement Case Information Reports (ECIRs) remained almost steady, with 58 filed this year compared to 59 last year.
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