ED seizes ₹67 lakh cash, 37 kg silver in Bharatmala highway corruption raid
Synopsis
The ED has recovered ₹66.9 lakh in cash and over 37 kg of silver from eight premises in Chhattisgarh, exposing an alleged scheme to fraudulently inflate land compensation under the Raipur–Visakhapatnam Highway Project. With Khasra records allegedly doctored and ownership transferred after NHAI notifications, the case reveals how systemic manipulation of land records can siphon public funds from flagship infrastructure schemes.
Key Takeaways
ED Raipur Zonal Office raided eight premises across Abhanpur, Raipur, Dhamtari, and Kurud on 28 April 2025 .
Recovered ₹66.9 lakh in cash, 37.13 kg of silver, digital devices, and incriminating documents.
Raids linked to alleged land acquisition fraud in the Raipur–Visakhapatnam Highway Project under the Bharatmala Scheme .
FIR names Nirbhay Sahu , then Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue) of Abhanpur, and others for allegedly manipulating Khasra records to inflate compensation.
ED has confirmed further investigation is underway; arrests and attachment orders may follow.
The Enforcement Directorate's (ED) Raipur Zonal Office on 28 April 2025 recovered ₹66.9 lakh in cash and 37.13 kg of silver during search operations targeting alleged corruption in land acquisition for the Raipur–Visakhapatnam Highway Project under the Bharatmala Scheme. The agency conducted raids at eight premises across Abhanpur, Raipur, Dhamtari, and Kurud in Chhattisgarh, seizing digital devices and incriminating documents alongside the cash and silver.
What the Searches Uncovered
The searches were carried out under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, according to an official ED press release. Recovered items included Indian currency worth ₹66.9 lakh, silver bricks and other silver articles totalling 37.13 kilograms, along with digital devices and financial documents the agency described as incriminating.
The ED has stated that the seized cash and silver are believed to represent proceeds of crime, allegedly generated through fraudulent land acquisition compensation linked to the highway project.
The Alleged Fraud: How Land Records Were Manipulated
The investigation originated from an FIR registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and Economic Offences Wing, Raipur, against Nirbhay Sahu, the then Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue) of Abhanpur, and several co-accused. According to the ED, the accused allegedly colluded with certain public servants to fraudulently secure excess compensation from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Raipur.
The alleged modus operandi involved transferring ownership of land parcels even after the issuance of notification under Section 3A of the National Highways Act, 1956 — a move the ED says was designed to inflate compensation entitlements. Further manipulation reportedly involved creating multiple smaller land holdings prior to notification under Section 3D, allowing inflated disbursements based on modified Khasra records.
The agency contends that these manipulations caused wrongful loss to the government and unlawful gain to the accused, with excess compensation qualifying as proceeds of crime under the PMLA.
Significance for the Bharatmala Scheme
The Raipur–Visakhapatnam Highway is a strategically important corridor under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, India's flagship national highway development programme, envisioned to enhance inter-regional connectivity and drive economic activity across Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The alleged fraud in its land acquisition process has raised questions about oversight mechanisms in large-scale infrastructure projects, where land compensation disbursals involve significant public funds and multiple layers of bureaucratic approvals.
Notably, this is not an isolated case — enforcement agencies have previously flagged irregularities in land acquisition under highway projects in other states, pointing to a systemic vulnerability that bad actors can exploit.
What Happens Next
The ED has confirmed that further investigation is underway, signalling the possibility of additional seizures, summons, or arrests as the probe deepens. The agency's focus on establishing a financial trail through the recovered documents and digital devices suggests that the current action may be the opening phase of a wider enforcement operation. Analysts tracking PMLA proceedings note that seizures of this nature typically precede formal attachment orders against identified proceeds of crime.
Point of View
Transfer ownership after them, and exploit the gap between bureaucratic timelines and ground-level records to extract inflated compensation. What makes it notable is the scale — ₹66.9 lakh in cash and 37 kg of silver suggest the proceeds were substantial enough to warrant physical hoarding rather than layering through accounts. Bharatmala is one of India's largest public infrastructure programmes, and if land acquisition — its most politically and financially sensitive phase — is compromised, the downstream costs fall on taxpayers twice: once through inflated disbursals and again through project delays. The ED's move signals that enforcement scrutiny of infrastructure corridors is intensifying, but the real question is whether systemic fixes to land record digitisation and third-party verification will follow.
NationPress
1 May 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the ED recover in the Chhattisgarh highway corruption raids?
The ED recovered ₹66.9 lakh in Indian currency, 37.13 kg of silver bricks and items, digital devices, and incriminating documents from eight premises across Abhanpur, Raipur, Dhamtari, and Kurud in Chhattisgarh on 28 April 2025.
Which project is at the centre of the ED's investigation?
The investigation centres on alleged land acquisition fraud linked to the Raipur–Visakhapatnam Highway Project, a corridor under the Centre's Bharatmala Pariyojana. Officials allegedly manipulated Khasra records to secure inflated compensation from NHAI.
Who is the main accused in the case?
The FIR names Nirbhay Sahu, the then Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue) of Abhanpur, as the primary accused, along with several others. The case was originally registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and Economic Offences Wing, Raipur.
How was the alleged fraud carried out?
According to the ED, the accused transferred land ownership after NHAI issued notifications under Section 3A of the National Highways Act, 1956, and created multiple smaller holdings before Section 3D notifications to inflate compensation. Payments were sanctioned based on manipulated Khasra records.
What happens next in the ED investigation?
The ED has confirmed that further investigation is underway, with the possibility of additional arrests and attachment orders against proceeds of crime. The recovered digital devices and documents are expected to help establish the full financial trail.
