Many villagers were forced to sell about 400 acres of land to private builders at throwaway prices
The Enforcement Directorate has attached properties worth ₹281.42 crore of several accused persons and their associates in connection with the Gurugram land scam, in which a large number of villagers were forced to sell about 400 acres of land to private builders at throwaway prices.
The attached assets include 54% of a project in the name of Dove Infrastructure Private Limited pertaining to the main accused, Atul Bansal, and the ABWIL Group companies, worth ₹108.86 crore; and 50% of one “Business Bay Project” in the name of Seriatim Land and Housing Private Limited valued at ₹78.09 crore.
Flats and fixed deposits related to Anglique International amounting to ₹3.39 crore; ₹25.53 crore refund from the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation sanctioned to Guru Nanak Infrastructures Developers; land and flats worth ₹52.20 crore linked to Frontier Home Developers; and 95.09 bighas of agricultural land worth ₹13.31 crore pertaining to one Lalit Modi have also been attached.
The ED’s money laundering probe is based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation on September 15, 2015, alleging that landowners in the Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula villages of Gurugram were cheated by private builders in conspiracy with politicians.
Industrial township
The then Haryana government had issued two notifications under the Land Acquisition Act in 2004 and 2005, to acquire land measuring about 912 acres for setting up an industrial model township. It allegedly forced the villagers to sell their land to the builders at rates much lower than the prevailing value.
The land was later freed from compulsory acquisition by the State government as a result of a conspiracy between politicians, bureaucrats and private builders, the ED alleged.
Most of the land was bought by the ABWIL group controlled by Mr. Bansal. After getting the licences, the ABWIL allegedly sold the licensed/unlicensed land and licences to other private persons and developers, making huge profits.
Earlier, the ED had attached assets worth ₹108.76 crore in the same case and filed chargesheets against 30 accused persons. The court has taken cognisance of the money laundering charges.
