Former ED Special Director Satyabrata Kumar Who Probed Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya, Takes VRS

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Satyabrata Kumar, a former special director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) who spearheaded investigations into several major money laundering cases involving fugitives such as Nirav Modi, Vijay Mallya and the Mahadev online betting network, has opted for voluntary retirement from government service, reported PTI.

A 2004-batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer from the Customs and Indirect Taxes cadre, Kumar was serving as Commissioner (Appeals) in Siliguri, West Bengal, after returning to his parent department following his repatriation from the ED a year ago.

During his nearly 12-year stint with the federal anti-money laundering agency, Kumar became one of the longest-serving officers on deputation in the organisation.

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Officials said the 48-year-old officer received approval from the Union government for voluntary retirement in April, with the formal notification being issued earlier this month.

Kumar, whose normal retirement was due in 2037, chose to leave service despite having around 11 years remaining before reaching the retirement age of 60, according to officials.

According to thePTIreport, Kumar decided to step down from government service to focus on personal interests and future pursuits.

Over the years, Kumar oversaw several high-profile probes handled by the ED's Mumbai-based western regional office. These included the alleged $2-billion Punjab National Bank fraud involving diamond merchants Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, the bank loan default and money laundering case against liquor businessman Vijay Mallya, as well as multiple politically sensitive investigations linked to Maharashtra.

He played a key role in tracing and attaching overseas assets worth hundreds of crores that were identified as proceeds of crime in the PNB fraud investigation.

Under his leadership, the ED's western regional office also handled the Mahadev betting app probe, a case that brought scrutiny to alleged connections involving politicians and business figures from Chhattisgarh.

Also Read | Mallya, Nirav Modi, other fugitive offenders owe ₹58,000 crore to PSBs: Govt

Kumar's departure marks the second instance within a year of a senior ED officer leaving government service shortly after exiting the agency.

In July 2025, former ED joint director Kapil Raj resigned from service nearly 15 years ahead of his scheduled retirement. Raj had supervised investigations that led to the arrests of chief ministers Hemant Soren and Arvind Kejriwal in separate money laundering cases.

A 2009-batch IRS officer from the Customs and Indirect Taxes cadre, Raj had spent eight years with the ED. He submitted his resignation after being posted as Additional Commissioner in the GST Intelligence wing in Delhi.

ED arrests Noida realty promoter

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested the promoter of a Noida-based real estate company in connection with a high-profile money laundering case involving the alleged cheating of home buyers, officials confirmed on Saturday.

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Satinder Singh Bhasin-director of Bhasin Infotech and Infrastructure Pvt Ltd (BIIPL) and owner of the prominent Grand Venice Mall in Greater Noida-was taken into custody by federal agents on Friday.

Following his arrest, Bhasin was produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. The court remanded him to ED custody until June 6 to allow for deeper interrogation.

According to agency officials, Bhasin had been actively "evading" multiple summonses issued by the ED and was "not cooperating" with the ongoing investigation. The arrest follows a direct order from the Supreme Court, which had instructed the ED on May 15 to take him into custody.

The ED's money laundering case is built upon a foundation of multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) originally registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police back in 2015.

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