Enforcement Directorate’s new structure to be implemented from 2027:50 PMLA, 5 FEMA zones to be created; target set to reduce investigation time to 1.5 years

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is set to expand its investigation framework across the country. From 1 January 2027, the ED will have 50 PMLA zones and five separate FEMA zones. The agency has also set a target of completing investigations into money laundering and economic offences in around one and a half years, down from the current four to five years. Under this restructuring, the Directorate’s sanctioned posts will increase from 2,029 to 3,256. The number of functional units will rise from 131 to 241. The FEMA zones will be located in Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Apart from this, under ‘Project Enforcement Building’, the target has been set to establish its offices in all 39 cities where ED operates by March 31, 2029. All these decisions were taken during the ED’s 36th quarterly conference of zonal officers held in Bengaluru on September 14-15. ED will collect information from these places The ED has reviewed the use of NATGRID, Inter-operable Criminal Justice System, databases related to companies and immigration, digital currency transactions and information from FIU-India for the investigation. Advanced forensic tools and on-the-spot evidence collection kits will be expanded to investigate cybercrimes. Expert support will also be increased in regional laboratories, in collaboration with the National Forensic Science University. The assistance of experts in regional laboratories will also be increased in collaboration with the National Forensic Science University. It is noteworthy that the current official structure of ED has 5 regions, 27 zones and 18 sub-zones. ​