NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it had arrested a former additional deputy commissioner of Punjab’s rural development department and a private individual in connection with the alleged illegal transfer of 92 acres of land in Pathankot district near the India-Pakistan border.
The former officer, Kuldeep Singh, and Nipun Mahajan, who is associated with stone-crushing and mining operations, were arrested on November 11. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Jalandhar remanded them to ED custody until November 16.
In a statement, the agency claimed that Punjab civil supplies and forests minister Lal Chand Kataruchak had recommended Singh’s appointment to the post in February 2023.
“Kataruchak recommended him (Singh) for the post through a DO letter dated 23.02.2023 to the then Minister of Rural Development and Panchayats,” the ED said.
The agency alleged that a request to expedite the transfer of shamlat, or common village land, had been conveyed to Singh through an intermediary.
Singh subsequently passed an order on February 27, 2023, a day before his retirement, transferring the land in favour of private claimants, the ED claimed.
According to the agency, Mahajan disclosed that he had entered into powers of attorney and purchase agreements with persons named in the FIR to obtain possession of the mineral-rich land. Payments were allegedly made through bank transactions and in cash.
The money laundering investigation stems from an August 2023 FIR registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau in Amritsar over the alleged fraudulent transfer of approximately 92 acres of shamlat land in Bhattian village, Pathankot district.
The land is located in the Ravi river belt near the international border.
The ED said a drone and bathymetric survey conducted by IIT Ropar assessed illegal excavation at 50.74 lakh cubic feet, valued at ₹11.16 crore.
“The illegal extraction continues rampantly till date,” the agency said.
During searches conducted in July, the ED claimed to have seized ₹1.75 crore in cash from Mahajan’s premises.
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