Chennai, Sep 23 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Chennai Zonal Office, has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 2.56 crore belonging to late IAS officer A.N. Dyaneshwaran and his family members under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

According to an official statement issued on Tuesday, the attached properties include immovable assets, fixed deposits, and bank accounts.

The move follows a long-running investigation into allegations that Dyaneshwaran, while serving as a senior officer in the Tamil Nadu government, amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.

The ED's case stems from an FIR and subsequent chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Anti-Corruption Branch, Chennai. The CBI chargesheet, dated March 14, 2001, quantified the disproportionate assets held by Dyaneshwaran and his family at Rs 7.34 crore, allegedly accumulated between July 1991 and January 1996. The trial in this corruption case is reported to be in its advanced stage.

The ED probe revealed that Dyaneshwaran had routed several acquisitions through his family members, a construction company named Shilpi Grih Constructions, and a charitable entity, Dr Dharmambal Namasivayam Trust.

Investigators identified 16 immovable properties linked to him, of which 12 were confirmed as direct 'proceeds of crime' purchased during his service tenure between 1991 and 1996. The value of these properties at the time of acquisition was pegged at Rs 1.7 crore. In addition, fixed deposits and bank accounts in the names of family members, holding balances of around Rs 86.24 lakh, were also brought under attachment.

This latest order comes months after the ED carried out search operations on February 28, 2025, in connection with the same case.

Following those searches, a provisional attachment order issued on March 27, 2025, had already covered assets worth Rs 1.19 crore. With the current action, the total acquisition value of assets attached so far in the case stands at Rs 3.75 crore.

Officials noted that while the present attachment covers Rs 2.56 crore in assets, investigations into the money laundering aspects of the case are still ongoing.

'Further investigation is in progress,' the ED statement said, indicating that more assets may be identified and attached as the probe continues.

/IANS