New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Monday that it has attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 1.05 crore belonging to the former head cashier at the Bank of Maharashtra, Cuttack, Bedabyas Barik, and his wife Sarmila Panda in a PMLA case pertaining to a cheating and fraud case.

The ED initiated the money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI, Bhubaneswar, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The case was registered against Barik, the erstwhile head cashier at the Bank of Maharashtra, Cuttack, who allegedly defrauded one Sukanti Barick, a Delhi based person, to the tune of Rs 4.78 crore on the pretext of investing her money in various investment schemes of Bank of Maharashtra.

The attached properties include balances under eight bank accounts and four land parcels and one flat in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

The ED learnt during the investigation that Barik during the years 2008-2012, by abusing his official position, cheated Barick, the complainant, to the tune of Rs 4.78 crore by resorting to forgery and criminal breach of trust.

He lured her to make investments in the schemes of recurring deposit and fixed deposits. Barik furnished fake RD and FD receipts in lieu of the money received from the complainant and used the amount to acquire illegal assets.

"Accordingly, the properties acquired by the accused using the proceeds of crime, as identified by investigation, have been attached under Section 5 (1) of PMLA, 2002," the official said.