ED attaches 3 Gurugram plots in money laundering case against Unitech Group

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday said it has attached a clutch of land parcels in Haryana worth over Rs 106 crore in connection with its money laundering probe against realty firm Unitech Group and its promoters Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra.

The federal investigative agency said in a statement that a provisional order for attachment of the three immovable properties located in Gurugram near here has been issued under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The total worth of these land properties is Rs 106.08 crore.

"These parcels had been purchased by two dummy entities of the Chandras, namely Erode Projects Pvt Limited and Kore communities Pvt Limited, from the companies of Unitech Group," it said.

The agency said its probe found that the land parcels were "purchased by the two companies from the proceeds of crime generated out of scheduled offence."

"Both these companies are controlled by the promoters of Unitech Group and proceeds of crime have been transferred to these companies after substantial layering in Singapore and the Cayman Islands," the ED alleged.

The ED early this year filed a criminal case under various sections of the PMLA against the Unitech Group and its promoters over allegations that the Chandras illegally diverted over Rs 2,000 crore to Cyprus and the Cayman Islands.

The case was booked after the ED studied some FIRs filed by the Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on the complaint by a number of homebuyers against the Unitech Group, including an instance where the company failed to complete a housing project on time in Gurugram.

"Total proceeds of crime in this case is Rs 5,063.05 crore as determined till now," the agency said.

The ED also carried out raids in this case on March 4 at 35 locations of the Shivalik Group, Trikar Group, Unitech Group and Carnoustie Group in Mumbai and the national capital region (NCR) after the registration of the case.

"After analysis of the seized records followed by the disclosures of various persons, the above diversion of proceeds of crime has been unearthed," it alleged.

The total attachment in this case now stands at Rs 537 crore as two similar orders were earlier issued that froze assets worth about Rs 431 crore.