ED attaches Rs 13.44 crore assets in United Services Club money-laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Mumbai Zonal Office, has provisionally attached 13 movable and immovable properties worth around Rs 13.44 crore in connection with a money-laundering case involving the United Services Club, the agency said.

The attached assets, located in Mumbai, Goa and Madhya Pradesh, include flats, land and plots, fixed deposits and bank balances belonging to Bernadette Bharat Varma, Bharatkumar Shankarlal Varma and others.advertisement❮❯ Read Full StoryFAKE ACCOUNTS USED TO DIVERT CLUB FUNDSThe ED investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Mumbai Police under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

According to the ED, Bernadette Bharat Varma, who was serving as Deputy Secretary (Finance) of the United Services Club, allegedly acted in connivance with her husband, Bharatkumar Shankarlal Varma, to open or arrange fake and dummy bank accounts bearing names similar to the club's regular vendors.

The agency alleged that around Rs 77 crore belonging to the United Services Club was transferred into these accounts. The funds were subsequently diverted to personal and joint bank accounts belonging to Bernadette Varma, Bharat Varma, their family members and associates.PROCEEDS USED TO BUY PROPERTIES

The ED said its probe found that the accused allegedly used the proceeds of crime to acquire several immovable properties and invested part of the funds in fixed deposits with various banks.

The agency further found that around Rs 11 crore was transferred to the bank account of Jyotirgamay Foundation, a trust. The funds were subsequently diverted to bank accounts linked to Chandra Prakash Pandey, his family members and firms controlled by him, the ED said.

Pandey was the Chartered Accountant associated with the United Services Club, according to the agency.

The latest attachment takes the total value of properties attached in the case to around Rs 47.95 crore. Earlier, on March 20, 2026, the ED had attached 35 properties valued at Rs 34.51 crore.

The investigation into the alleged diversion and laundering of the club's funds is ongoing.- EndsPublished By: Zafar ZaidiPublished On: Sep 15, 2026 01:21 IST