ED attaches properties worth Rs 30.34 crore in Panchkula Industrial plots allocation scam

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday attached 14 Industrial plots worth Rs 30.34 crore under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) in connection with Panchkula Industrial Plots allocation scam.

A statement from the ED said, "These 14 Industrial plots were fraudulently allocated to the persons closely connected to then Chief Minister of Haryana Bhupendra Singh Hooda who was the ex-officio Chairman of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA)."

Since these fraudulently acquired plots are proceeds of crime, the same have been provisionally attached under PMLA, the ED said in the statement.

Sharing more details of the case, the probe agency said, "Investigations conducted by ED revealed that 14 industrial plots were available with HUDA for allotment in 2011. It has come out during the investigation that the prices fixed for the subject allotment were kept very low vis-a-vis market rate. The then prevalent collector rate was around 4-5 times the price fixed for allotment."

"The High Court directions to the Haryana Government were to evolve fair and transparent criteria for such allocations. The criteria for allotment were altered 18 days after the last date of application was over and all the applicant data was in possession of HUDA," the ED said.

"Further, investigation, in this case, is under progress," the ED added.