New Delhi: The Enforcement department (ED) conducted searches across more than 40 locations of Chinese mobile manufacturers including Vivo and other Chinese firms, in relation to the violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
According to sources, the searches are being conducted in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and some locations in the south. Multiple ED teams have been conducting simultaneous raids since morning, they said, adding the case is already being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). IT department, as well as the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, are also keeping a close eye on the Chinese manufacturing firms. The ED raid is an extension of the probe against Chinese firms.
This development comes at a time when New Delhi and Beijing are facing a rough patch at the LAC. Earlier, the ED passed an order freezing Xiaomi (Chinese firm) India's bank assets worth over Rs 5,500 crores. Apart from this, the Chinese firms for the past few months are under the radar of the Indian government including the Home Ministry and IT department over non-compliance with PMLA. (With Agency inputs)
