One more arrested for Rs 126 cr Yamuna Expressway land fraud

The Gautam Buddh Nagar police Friday arrested one more director of a private builder's firm for his alleged involvement in a land fraud, estimated worth Rs 126 crore, linked to the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), officials said.

The accused, Satendra Chauhan, in his 40s, of Data Infrastructure has been nabbed in the case for alleged fraud and corruption, a senior police officer said.

Another of the firm's director, Ramesh Bansal, was arrested Wednesday, the police said.

"Chauhan was picked up by a team of Kasna police station this morning from his home in Ghaziabad over his alleged role in the Rs 126 crore land fraud of Yamuna Expressway Authority," Circle Officer, Greater Noida 1st, Nishank Sharma said.

He was being produced in a court in the afternoon where the police was to appeal for his custody to gather more information from him related to the case, Sharma said.

According to the police, the accused YEIDA officials, including a former CEO, in tie-up with some private firms had purchased around 57 hectare "useless" land in 2014 from seven villages of Mathura in lieu of compensation to their owners by the Authority.

But the compensation amount was much higher than what was defined by the Authority for such purchases. Also in doing so, the accused not only caused loss to the YEIDA but also made personal gains fraudulently, the police said.

In June, (YEIDA) had submitted a complaint against 21 persons at the Kasna police station in Greater Noida over the alleged land fraud in 2013-2014.

One of the accused is a former IAS officer P C Gupta, who was also the chief executive officer of YEIDA during the time the case transpired.

Gupta, who was appointed to the post in 2013, was held this June from Datia in Madhya Pradesh.