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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized cash amounting to Rs 3.89 crore and other incriminating materials during searches conducted at 26 residential and business premises related to one Bhupinder Singh and other private persons, along with two senior IAS officers in Punjab, in relation to the Guava Orchard Compensation scam.
The agency made the revelation a days after its Jalandhar unit carried out the search operations in Punjab's Ferozepur, Mohali (SAS Nagar), Bathinda, Barnala, Patiala and Chandigarh districts under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in the case. The 26 locations raided on Wednesday also included premises of officers of revenue and horticulture department in various districts across Punjab. During the search, the ED said in a statement, various incriminating evidences, property documents, mobile phones and cash worth Rs 3.89 crore were recovered and seized. ED initiated investigation on the basis of First Information Report registered by Punjab's Vigilance Bureau under various sections of Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against Bhupinder Singh, Jasmine Kaur and others. ED investigation revealed that in 2016 Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), Punjab started the process of acquiring land of various villages of SAS Nagar, Punjab for "Setting up Aerotropolis Residential Project Near IT city and Aerocity in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar". ED said that private persons close to officers of GMADA, revenue department and horticulture department were aware of the fact that compensation for fruit bearing trees (guava trees) would be assessed separately from the value of land acquired and additional compensation was to be granted as per the quality, age and various other parameters related to Guava trees planted. Accordingly, the federal agency said, persons involved in the scam (beneficiaries, officers of GMADA, revenue and horticulture department) "colluded amongst themselves and created false and forged records and reports regarding existence, age, quality and density of guava trees to avail wrongful compensation." As per the ED, the total Proceed of Crime (PoC) identified so far is Rs 140 crore. (ANI)
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