ED attaches assets worth Rs 11.62 crore in NH-74 scam

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, Sep 16

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said that it had issued a provisional attachment order under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 to seize movable and immovable assets worth Rs 11.62 crore of Barinder Singh and others in the case related to the National Highway (NH) - 74 scam.

According to ED officials the attached assets consist of 23 immovable properties, including agriculture, industrial land, commercial plots and buildings situated at district Udham Singh Nagar of Uttarakhand and movable properties consisting of funds lying in five bank accounts.

The other accused in the case include Balwant Singh, Ramesh Kumar, Vikramjeet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Harjinder Singh, their family members and Jasdeep Singh Goraya of Fibremarx Papers Pvt. Ltd.

The officials said investigation under the PMLA was initiated on the basis of an FIR and charge sheet filed by the Uttarakhand Police against Dinesh Pratap Singh and other revenue officers, farmers and middlemen.

In the charge sheet it was alleged that DP Singh and Anil Shukla, the then revenue officials, working in the capacity of Competent Authority of Land Acquisition, entered into conspiracy with other public servants, farmers and middlemen for misappropriation of government funds by way of granting compensation at non-agriculture rate, which was much higher than the designated rate.

The ED probe also revealed that after receiving the compensation fraudulently by the land owners, funds have been diverted to the account of various individuals and entities, the officials said.

Barinder Singh and Balwant Singh diverted the “proceeds of crime” to the tune of Rs 9 crore  whereas Harjinder Singh diverted fund to the tune of Rs 1  crore to the accounts of Jasdeep Singh Goraya and Mehak Kaur, which was  utilised by them in their company Fibremarx Papers Pvt. Ltd, they said.

Ramesh Kumar created the fixed deposits in the name of his family members from the “proceeds of crime” and therefore all these identified assets totaling to Rs 11.62 crore have been provisionally attached under the PMLA.