The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) Ahmedabad Zonal unit executed a major crackdown on Wednesday, targeting the Anas Group, a prominent player in the tobacco industry. The group, known for manufacturing brands like “Amber Tobacco” and “Sama Filter Khaini,” saw nine of its locations searched. The operation was launched under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999, following credible intelligence that the Nagariya family—owners of the group—possessed significant undisclosed overseas assets and high-value properties in Dubai.
The raids yielded a substantial haul of unaccounted wealth, including ₹1.01 crore in Indian currency and foreign exchange worth approximately ₹33.34 lakh. Beyond cash, officials seized 16 gold bars (weighing 1.6 kg with foreign markings) valued at ₹2.5 crore and 168 silver bars (weighing roughly 80 kg) worth nearly ₹2 crore. The total value of the seized precious metals alone exceeds ₹4.5 crore, highlighting the scale of the alleged financial irregularities.
Investigators are now focusing on the paper trail discovered during the searches, which includes documents detailing investments in Dubai. The ED suspects that these overseas holdings were funded through hawala transactions and unauthorized banking channels, bypassing national regulations. The agency is currently examining the confiscated records to map out the full extent of the group’s illegal financial network and to identify the specific channels used to siphon funds out of the country.
