The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized a record Rs 81,422 crore in the 2025–26 fiscal year but made far fewer arrests, signaling a shift in its investigative approach. Government statistics show asset seizures — carried out under 712 orders — surged by 171% compared with Rs 30,366 crore seized in 2024–25, even as the number of people arrested fell 27% to 156.
Across the country the ED conducted 2,892 search operations in 2025–26. By contrast, the agency arrested 214 people in 2024–25 and 272 in 2023–24. The ED attributes the decline in arrests to a move toward “evidence-based, targeted investigations,” saying this strategy focuses on stronger, better-documented cases rather than broader mass arrests.
Despite fewer arrests, the agency reported significant progress in returning assets to victims. While officials had previously announced an intention to return Rs 15,000 crore to defrauded parties, around Rs 32,000 crore was actually returned in 2024–25. In 2025–26 the ED returned Rs 15,582 crore across various cases to affected claimants.
The report also notes a marked acceleration in case disposal. Where cases used to take three to four years on average, the ED now says they are being resolved in roughly one to 1.5 years. The agency filed 812 charge sheets during the year, up from 457 the previous year, and registered 1,080 new ECIRs (Enforcement Case Information Reports), compared with 775 in 2024–25.
Investigations have broadened beyond traditional inquiries to include detailed financial records and cryptocurrency information, reflecting the changing nature of money-laundering schemes. For cross-border assistance, the ED sent letters rogatory and mutual legal assistance treaty requests to several countries; 353 cases remain pending abroad, 69 of which are in the United Arab Emirates.
Foreign requests for cooperation, the agency added, have arrived mainly from the United Kingdom. Overall, the ED’s record asset seizures alongside a drop in arrests and a pivot to targeted, evidence-led probes has put the agency’s revised methods squarely in the spotlight as it seeks to disrupt sophisticated financial crime more effectively.
Original Source: https://assam.nenow.in/ed-attached-over-%E2%82%B981000-crore-in-assets-in-financial-year-2026/
Category: অসম,উত্তৰ-পূব,দেশ,শীর্ষ সংবাদ
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Publish Date: 2026-05-03 07:40:00
