ED to attach Rs 11.62 cr properties in U'khand's NH-74 land scam

Dehradun: In the NH-74 scam investigation, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials have initiated proceeding of attaching 23 properties worth Rs 11. 62 crores of six suspects based in Udham Singh Nagar district who also had links with other state government officials involved in the land scam.

A senior ED official told the Millennium Post that the notices of provisional attachment order dated September 16 under the provision of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) have been passed for 23 immovable properties which includes agriculture and industrial land, commercial plots and buildings.

"All the land assets have direct link with the NH 74 scam. Our teams are also scanning records of five specific bank accounts in which a flurry of transactions have taken place," said the senior ED official, privy to the NH 74 scam investigation in Uttarakhand.

The ED had initiated the investigation under the PMLA, on the basis of the FIR and chargesheet, the Uttarakhand Police against DP Singh, a key suspect, and others state government revenue officers, farmers and middlemen.

According to the police chargesheet, D P Singh and Anil Shukla, the then State Land Acquisition Officers entered into conspiracy for misappropriation of government funds by way of granting compensation at non agriculture rate as the compensation.

"Our investigation has established that the compensation awarded for the non-agriculture rate is much higher than the agriculture rate on the basis of back dated order passed after fudging. The investigation has revealed that the farmers and landowners got higher compensation and the kickback was deposited into the bank accounts of the suspected government officials and middlemen and business entities.