One more arrested in connection with Yamuna Expressway land fraud case

The Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Monday arrested one more accused in alleged Rs 126-crore land fraud case linked to the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), officials said.

Satendra, a native of Bulandshahr, was arrested from Modinagar in Ghaziabad for alleged fraud and corruption in the land deal, a senior police officer said.

His arrest comes close on the heels of the arrest of two directors of Data Infrastructure Ramesh Bansal and Satendra Chauhan which is a key firm named in the FIR over the land fraud.

"Satendra is one of the accused in the case. He had got the land registered in his name for Data Infrastructure private limited. His is the fourth arrest and the police would ensure that others are also nabbed soon," Circle Officer of Greater Noida 1st Nishank 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, the YEIDA had submitted a complaint against 21 people 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 in June this year from Datia in Madhya Pradesh.