ED Arrests Amar Nath Dutta in Reliance Power Bogus Bank Guarantee Case.

Headnote:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kolkata-based consultant Amar Nath Dutta in connection with the bogus bank guarantee (BG) case involving Reliance Power Ltd’s subsidiary, Reliance NU BESS Ltd, and Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The case pertains to the submission of forged bank guarantees worth over ₹68 crore, causing SECI a loss exceeding ₹100 crore. This marks the third arrest in the case, following the arrests of Ashok Pal (then CFO of Reliance Power Ltd) and Partha Sarathi Biswal (MD, Biswal Tradelink Pvt. Ltd.).

Background:

• ED initiated the money-laundering probe based on three FIRs, including FIR No. 0079/2025 filed by SECI with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Delhi Police.

• SECI, a public sector enterprise under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, had suffered losses exceeding ₹100 crore due to submission of fraudulent BGs and forged SFMS confirmations by Reliance Power’s subsidiary.

• Amar Nath Dutta, claiming to offer consultancy in trade financing, allegedly played an active role with co-accused Ashok Pal and Partha Sarathi Biswal in arranging and submitting the fake BGs.

• He was produced before the Additional Sessions Judge-04, Patiala House Courts, New Delhi, on 06 November 2025, and the court granted four days of ED custody till 10 November 2025.

ED’s Findings:

• Investigation revealed that forged State Bank of India (SBI) endorsements were created using a spoofed email domain – [email protected] – to mislead SECI into accepting the BGs as genuine.

• Several other spoofed domains of banks were identified, including lndiabank.in, lndusindbank.in, pnblndia.in, psdbank.co.in, siliguripnb.co.in, lobbank.co.in, and unionbankofIndia.co.in, all created with minor textual variations to deceive.

• ED continues to investigate the beneficiaries of proceeds of crime, end-use of diverted funds, and assets acquired therefrom, as well as the larger conspiracy and roles of other entities and individuals involved.

Legal Provisions Discussed:

• Sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) – relating to money laundering, concealment, and possession of proceeds of crime.

• Indian Penal Code (IPC) – provisions concerning forgery, cheating, and criminal conspiracy (as part of EOW FIRs).

Custody Status:

• 4-day ED custody granted by the Hon’ble Court till 10 November 2025 for custodial interrogation.

Date: 07 November 2025

Agency: Directorate of Enforcement (ED)

Law Invoked: Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA)