ED to auction seized Hawker 800A in Hyderabad Falcon fraud case
HYDERABAD: On Dec 12, a Hawker 800A aircraft with registration no. N935H will be auctioned through MSTC Limited. This aircraft was seized by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Hyderabad Falcon fraud case.
Accoridng to the ED the prime accused in the Falcon fraud case, Amardeep Kumar fled the country in the same aircraft prior to registration of FIRs and is presently absconding abroad. The ED assures that proceeds from the sale will be used to restore funds to the victims of the scam.
The aircraft is currently parked at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad, and will be available for inspection until December 7, 2025. The auction is scheduled for December 9, 2025, through MSTC.
The ED seized the aircraft from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport during a search operation. In March 2025, the seizure was carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in a case against Amardeep Kumar, Capital Protection Force Pvt. Ltd., and others.
Investigation
The ED initiated an investigation based on several FIRs filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Cyberabad, against Falcon Group (Capital Protection Force Pvt. Ltd.), its CMD Amardeep Kumar, and others for defrauding investors through a fraudulent invoice discounting scheme.
“The scheme revolved around the company’s ‘Falcon Invoice Discounting platform’. Amardeep Kumar launched an invoice discounting scheme under the name and style of ‘Falcon Invoice Discounting’ which promised lucrative returns on funds deposited against invoices and duped gullible investors of Rs. 792 Crore of their hard-earned money,” said ED in a statement.
The ED has also provisionally attached properties valued at Rs. 18.63 crore and arrested three individuals, Sandeep Kumar (brother of Amardeep Kumar), Sharad Chandra Toshniwal (Chartered Accountant), and Aryan Singh Chhabra (COO of Capital Protection Force Pvt. Ltd.). The ED filed a prosecution complaint before the Special PMLA Court, Rangareddy, on September 29, 2025.
ED investigation revealed that the impugned aircraft was purchased by Amardeep Kumar in 2024 for a consideration of USD 1.6 million.
After seizing the aircraft, the ED filed an Original Application before the Adjudicating Authority, PMLA, which was confirmed by order dated August 18, 2025. The ED then applied under Rule 4(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering (Taking possession of attached or frozen properties confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority) Rules, 2013, seeking permission to sell the aircraft. This rule allows for the sale of attached property if it is subject to rapid decay or if maintenance costs are likely to exceed its value. The Adjudicating Authority, PMLA, by order dated November 20, 2025, authorized the ED Hyderabad Zonal Office to auction the aircraft.
