Mohali shamlat land rip-off: ED raids 14 qualities of income officers, house sellers
The enforcement directorate (ED raided 14 attributes belonging to Punjab earnings officers and property sellers in Chandigarh, Mohali, Hoshiarpur and Ludhiana in connection with the Mohali shamlat land fraud. The sleuths of the central company seized some files during search of the premises, it is learnt.
In November 2020, Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) experienced booked 11 individuals, like then naib tehsildar Varinderpal Singh Dhoot, then kanungo Rughubir Singh, patwari Iqbal Singh, namabrdar Gurnam Singh and home seller Sham Lal and many others, for allegedly usurping a village frequent land Seonk village of Majri block in Mohali district. Key accused Dhoot and Sham Lal were also arrested in November last yr.
The circumstance dates again to 2017 when Dhoot was posted as the naib tehsildar in Majri. He allegedly sold off 99 acres of shamlat land in Seonk village in connivance with his junior earnings officials and private folks fraudulently, leading to losses to the governing administration exchequer in crores of rupees. According to the FIR, the accused organized solid land paperwork and got the village popular land registered in the title of individuals identified to them in lieu of significant amount of money of income. Afterwards, the land was offered in plots at higher prices.
On Tuesday, ED searched Dhoot’s qualities in Hoshiarpur and Chandigarh, apart from all those belonging to other accused in Mohali and Ludhiana. The ED had registered Enforcement Circumstance Info Report (ECIR) against the accused earnings officials and non-public persons beneath the Prevention to Revenue Laundering Act (PMLA) at its Jalandhar place of work in March this calendar year.
A vigilance bureau formal on condition of anonymity mentioned Dhoot was near to a Hoshiarpur-based mostly influential Congress politician and the two when shared a property in Sector 8, Chandigarh.
In May well this calendar year, Punjab vigilance bureau once again booked Dhoot and home seller Sham Lal, alongside with other 9 accused, for the manipulation of income records for the duration of the procedure of division and mutation of Majrian village in Majri tehsil of Mohali district. He allegedly transferred ownership of ‘khewat’ number to recognised beneficiaries to make enormous profits illegally as a result of energy of attorney.
DA inquiry towards Dhoot however on
Punjab vigilance bureau is still to finish its reinvestigation introduced in February this yr into the allegations of disproportionate assets against Dhoot. The instructions for reinvestigation arrived following new facts emerged in the corruption scenario against him. In November very last 12 months, HT experienced claimed that Dhoot confronted a further circumstance of disproportionate assets which was pending with the vigilance headquarters, following the Jalandhar VB “watered down” the investigation and proposed departmental motion.
The agency had detected numerous monetary transactions amid builders, developers and Dhoot, besides investments in two key relationship palaces in Hoshiarpur district. The vigilance is also probing the source of funds for Dhoot’s dwelling in Sector 8, Chandigarh.
When contacted, vigilance bureau officer Daljinder Singh Dhillon confirmed that the inquiry was not nevertheless comprehensive as the facts is currently being verified.