Guwahati: A designated PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court here on Wednesday framed charges against Saradha chief Sudipta Sen and his aide Debjani Mukherjee in a case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for allegedly defrauding depositors in Assam.

Sen and Debjani were present in court. The ED's counsel, Dhanesh Das, said charges were framed against them under Sections 3 and 4 of the PMLA Act, 2002.

Das said Debjani filed a bail application, which will be heard on July 11.

Investigation conducted by ED revealed that Saradha had collected Rs 2,459.59 crore from depositors in Assam between 2008-09 and 2013-14.

The chargesheet said the group raised money from the public through Saradha Realty India Ltd, Saradha Tours & Travels Pvt. Ltd, Saradha Housing Pvt. Ltd and Saradha Garden Resorts and Hotels Pvt. Ltd.

According to ED, investors were told to park their money in different schemes of the group with promises of higher returns than other investment options.