ED attaches properties worth Rs 21 cr in NH-74 case

 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said that it has attached properties to the tune of Rs 21.96 crore belonging to a Special Land Acquisition officer and others in its money laundering probe into the National Highway (NH) 74 case.

In a statement, the financial probe agency said, that it has attached movable and immovable properties including 36 agricultural commercial plots and building situated in Uttarakhand's Dehradun and Udham Singh Nagar and in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur and movable properties consisting of 11 Bank account deposits/ Mutual Funds.

The ED said that the properties were attached the sections of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002.

The central probe agency said that investigations under PMLA were initiated on the basis of FIR and charge sheet filed by the Uttarakhand Police against Dinesh Pratap Singh and other revenue officers, farmers and middlemen, wherein it was revealed that D.P. Singh and Anil Shukla, the then SLAO's 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.

"The compensation at non agriculture rate was much higher than the agriculture rate. The higher compensation was paid on the basis of back dated order passed under section 143 of Uttar Pradesh Zamindari and Land Reform Act, 1950 (UP ZA & LR Act) for changing the land use from agriculture to non-agriculture and subsequent back dated entries in revenue records/documents and projected the forged/back dated documents as genuine at the time of awarding/distributing the compensation which resulted in loss of Rs. 215.11 Crore to the government treasury," it said.

The agency further said that probe revealed that the farmers/land owners who had got higher compensation had utilised the excess amount in buying the immovable property, making deposits in bank and giving commission to Revenue officers/officials.IANS