Kochi: Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against those accused in the gold robbery case in Sabarimala.
ED joint Director is heading the probe. The investigation will focus on a single case against all those booked by the crime branch.
The ECIR registered by the ED under the PMLA is similar to FIR (First Information Report) registered in criminal cases. However, it is not mandatory for the ED to provide a copy of FIR to the accused unlike the FIR registered by the Crime Branch.
The copy of ECIR is not given on the ground that it is an internal document as ECIR might contain some details of the material seized by the authority concerned and if revealed during the stage of investigation/inquiry may impact the outcome.
Another notable point of the Act is that the ED has the power to arrest a person based on ECIR without informing him of the grounds of his arrest in writing.
This power makes it difficult for an individual to seek bail without knowing the charges against him.
ED registers ECIR in Sabarimala case
