The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a sweeping operation on Monday, April 7, 2025, raiding 10 locations across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Mumbai in a Rs 700 crore bank fraud case tied to Samajwadi Party leader and former MLA Vinay Shankar Tiwari.

Tiwari, a key promoter of Gangotri Enterprises—a firm prominent in securing government contracts—faces scrutiny for his alleged role in widespread financial irregularities that have rocked the company.

The ED’s crackdown, executed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), stems from specific intelligence pointing to large-scale fraud. Multiple teams conducted simultaneous searches at premises linked to Tiwari, spanning cities like Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Noida, Delhi, and Mumbai.

The operation reflects the agency’s intensifying focus on economic offenses, building on prior actions against Tiwari, including asset seizures worth over Rs 102 crore since 2023.

Gangotri Enterprises is accused of misappropriating credit facilities exceeding Rs 1,129 crore from a seven-bank consortium led by the Bank of India between 2012 and 2016, causing a Rs 754 crore loss. The ED alleges funds were diverted through shell entities, a charge first probed by the CBI in 2020.

As the son of late Gorakhpur strongman Hari Shankar Tiwari, Vinay’s political and business clout adds weight to the case, spotlighting the intersection of power and financial misconduct in Uttar Pradesh.