The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached Punjab's luxurious resort to a money laundering case filed against a Dutch national at the request of the Netherlands government. The resort is said to be worth over Rs 32 crores.
The ED's action is being taken in accordance with anti-money laundering laws as part of a legal cooperation agreement between India and the Netherlands, the Enforcement Directorate said
on Monday, November 1, 2021.
The multi-acre 'Cabbana Resort and Spa' located at Punjab’s Jalandhar-Phagwara highway is owned by Shivlal Pabbi and his associates. The resort has been attached to case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The facility, which is "managed by Shivlal Pabbi's cousins Anil Kumar Chodha and Manoj Kumar Chodha," is well-known for hosting luxury weddings and corporate events, among
other things.
Pabbi had previously been arrested by the ED on July 17 while he was allegedly trying to flee to Paris. All of the accused-Shivlal Pabbi, Anil Kumar Chodha, Manoj Kumar Chodha, Mukesh Sharma,
Mayfair Resorts Private Limited and Cabbana Infrastructure Private Limited- were charged by the agency in September before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mohali.
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"Pabbi committed cheating and forgery in the Netherlands using fraudulent and forged documents prepared in connivance with his Indian associates," read a statement by the agency.
Pabbi was accused of running an "underground" banking/banking without a permit or hawala business in the Netherlands.
"Shivlal Pabbi's felonious funds were laundered through Pakistani individuals based in Dubai, who transferred the funds to him and his family members' NRE accounts in Phagwara."
The ED claimed that "the proceeds of crime were invested in the development and construction of Cabbana Resort & Spa."