Raipur, March 16 (NationPress) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized both movable and immovable assets valued at Rs 23.35 crore in relation to a fraudulent land acquisition compensation scheme associated with the Raipur-Visakhapatnam National Highway development under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, according to an official announcement made on Monday.

The inquiry conducted by the Directorate of Enforcement's Raipur Zonal Office uncovered a criminal plot involving land brokers, private individuals, and certain public officials, aimed at illegally securing excess and ineligible compensation for land acquired for the Raipur-Visakhapatnam National Highway construction.

According to the ED, Rs 27.05 crore was wrongfully extracted by Harmeet Singh Khanuja and his accomplices, with Proceeds of Crime amounting to Rs 23.35 crore being traced and provisionally seized under Section 5 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED's investigation commenced following a first information report (FIR) lodged by the Economic Offences Wing/Anti-Corruption Bureau of Chhattisgarh, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as stated in their official release.

Subsequently, a charge sheet was submitted to the Hon'ble Special Court (PC Act) in Raipur against Harmeet Singh Khanuja and others implicated in the FIR.

The investigation disclosed that, as part of the criminal conspiracy, land parcels were fraudulently subdivided by fabricating and backdating revenue documents following a notification issued on January 30, 2020, by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, which inflated the compensation owed for the acquired land.

Khanuja, in collusion with his associates—including Khemraj Koshle, Punuram Deshlahare, and Kundan Baghel—persuaded landowners to sign multiple documents, including affidavits and applications, and facilitated the deceptive subdivision of land records with the aid of specific government officials, according to the ED.

Based on these manipulated records, compensation amounts far exceeding the rightful entitlement were disbursed.

Further investigations indicated that numerous bank accounts were opened in the names of the landowners, into which the compensation sums were credited. Subsequently, using pre-signed blank cheques and banking documents procured from the landowners, a significant proportion of the compensation was diverted to the bank accounts of Khanuja, his relatives, associates, and entities under his control, leaving the landowners with only the eligible compensation or a marginally increased amount.