India, Oct. 14 -- A special PMLA court has allowed Puneet Bhatia, the India head of US-based private equity firm TPG Capital, to intervene in money-laundering proceedings arising from an alleged Rs.17.9-crore art fraud in which he claims to have been sold 11 counterfeit paintings passed off as original works of some of India's most renowned artists.

Special judge SV Sahare allowed Bhatia to assist the prosecution primarily because he was the "first informant" or original complainant in the cheating and forgery case that led to the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) money-laundering investigation.

The case dates back to December 2023, when the Tardeo police registered an FIR following Bhatia's complaint that he had been cheated into buying 1...