NH-74 Land Scam: ED Seizes ₹13.89 Crore in Assets Linked to Fraudulent Compensation Racket
(Judicial Quest News Network)
DEHRADUN – Taking a decisive step against financial irregularities, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) Dehradun has provisionally attached movable and immovable properties valued at approximately ₹13.89 Crore in connection with the high-profile NH-74 land acquisition scam.
The action, taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, marks a significant milestone in an investigation that began following an FIR registered at the Pant Nagar Police Station.
The Anatomy of the Fraud
The ED’s investigation uncovered a sophisticated scheme where private individuals—identified as Dilbagh Singh, Jarnail Singh, Baljeet Kaur, and Dalvinder Singh—conspired with revenue officials and middlemen to manipulate land records.
The group reportedly managed to:
- Backdate Orders: Secure retroactive approvals under Section 143 of the U.P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act.
- Manipulate Records: Insert these fraudulent entries into revenue books at later dates.
- Inflate Compensation: By reclassifying agricultural land as non-agricultural, the accused fraudulently siphoned off ₹26.02 Crore in excess compensation during the widening of National Highway 74.
Money Laundering & Asset Recovery
The probe revealed that the “ill-gotten” proceeds of crime (PoC) were systematically laundered. The funds were either used to acquire new immovable properties or funnelled through various bank accounts belonging to the accused and their relatives.
With this latest attachment, the ED has now:
- Issued a total of four Provisional Attachment Orders in this case.
- Filed seven Prosecution Complaints against various accused in the Special PMLA Court, Dehradun.
- Recovered assets totalling nearly ₹14 Crore in this specific phase.
Editor’s Note: This case highlights the rigorous scrutiny currently being applied to infrastructure-related land acquisitions. The ED has confirmed that further investigations are ongoing to trace the remaining proceeds of crime and identify additional collaborators in the revenue department.
