ED attaches ₹94.76 crore in Singapore accounts in Amira Foods money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached funds totalling about ₹94.76 crore in foreign bank accounts maintained at the Bank of Singapore as part of its investigation into an alleged money-laundering case involving Amira Pure Foods Private Limited. The accounts were held in the name of the main accused, Karan Chanana, along with Amira Foods Pte. Ltd. and Ananntya Pte. Ltd.

The agency said on Thursday (July 30, 2026) that the attachment was served upon the parties through the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) mechanism with the United Kingdom and Singapore, as well as through other available means. A provisional attachment under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) restricts the account holders from dealing with the funds pending further judicial proceedings.

The case originates from a First Information Report lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The FIR accuses Amira Pure Foods and its directors, promoters, employees, and others of committing fraud by siphoning off and diverting funds, criminal misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, and cheating. The alleged actions resulted in a wrongful loss of approximately ₹1,201.85 crore to a consortium of lenders led by Canara Bank.

Amira Foods Group was engaged in manufacturing and selling branded packaged food, particularly Indian basmati rice. According to the ED, the company's loan accounts turned non-performing assets in 2007. Based on its findings, the ED has already filed a prosecution complaint against 21 accused persons and entities. Earlier in the investigation, assets worth ₹131.51 crore had been attached.

The investigation under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act further established that Karan A. Chanana, the chairman-cum-managing director, and Anita Daing, the whole-time director, had left India and were residing in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, respectively. They had deliberately failed to return to India despite the pending investigation, leading to the issuance of non-bailable warrants against both.

The ED then moved a special court in Delhi seeking to declare the two as fugitive economic offenders. It also sought the confiscation of immovable properties belonging to them and their associates. On February 6, the court declared both individuals as fugitive economic offenders and ordered the confiscation of 46 immovable properties, valued at about ₹123 crore, located in Karnal and Faridabad, Haryana.

Under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act, a person declared a fugitive economic offender can have their properties confiscated, including those held overseas. The latest attachment of foreign bank accounts is part of the ED's ongoing efforts to recover the wrongful loss caused to the lending consortium. With this action, the total value of assets attached or ordered to be confiscated in the case now stands at about ₹349 crore. The agency continues to investigate the matter, and further legal action may follow based on emerging evidence.

The case highlights the coordinated use of international legal mechanisms by Indian investigative agencies to track assets held abroad. The ED has increasingly relied on MLATs to access information and enforce attachment orders in foreign jurisdictions, particularly in cases involving large-scale financial fraud.