What Happened During the ED's Seizure of 45 Cars in Hyderabad?

Hyderabad, April 29 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate from the Hyderabad Zonal Office has successfully confiscated 45 vehicles, including a number of vintage cars, during a series of searches in Hyderabad on Tuesday. This operation is part of an ongoing investigation linked to the illicit transfer of government land for personal profit.

These searches were performed at five different locations under the regulations of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The agency also seized incriminating documents tied to the illegal sale and purchase of government land, along with Indian currency amounting to Rs 23 lakh and 12,000 UAE Dirhams.

The searches targeted the homes and farmhouses of individuals implicated in the case, namely Khaderunissa, Mohd Munawar Khan, Mohd Lateef Sharfan, Mohd Akhtar Sharan, and Mohd Shukoor.

According to a statement issued by the central agency on Tuesday, 45 old and used cars, including several vintage models, were seized from Munawar Khan's farmhouse.

The ED's investigation was initiated based on an FIR lodged by the Telangana Police against several private individuals and government officials involved in the illegal sale of government land, which included document forgery and manipulation of government revenue records.

“The ED's investigation uncovered that government land and Bhoodan land located in Nagaram village, Maheshwaram Mandal was wrongfully claimed by Khaderunissa as her ancestral property. It was found that the revenue records were fraudulently altered, and the land was sold to various entities with the help of multiple middlemen,” the ED noted.

“These middlemen, in collusion with government officials, forged documents and amended land revenue records, ultimately resulting in the de-notification of the land from the prohibited list and its subsequent sale to private parties,” they added.

In March 2023, Dastagir Shareef filed a private complaint in court, alleging that certain individuals, with the supposed assistance of revenue officials, wrongfully obtained succession rights, altered revenue records, and issued illegal passbooks for 42.33 acres of land in Nagaram village of Maheshwaram mandal, Rangareddy district.

In October of the previous year, the ED had interrogated senior IAS officer Amoy Kumar.

Currently serving in the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Department, Amoy Kumar had previously held the position of district collector for Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri districts.

Although Amoy Kumar was not named as a suspect in the FIR, inquiries into his involvement concerning the use of the Dharani portal and the registration of properties in restricted categories were initiated.

Following the court's direction, the police filed the FIR and began an investigation. Several individuals, including Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO) R. P. Jyothi, Munawar Khan, Khaderunnisa, K. Sridhar Reddy, and others, were mentioned in the FIR.