Chandigarh: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted a search operation at the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) office in Phase 8, Mohali, in connection with its ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities linked to real estate projects and Change of Land Use (CLU) approvals.
According to reports, ED teams reached the GMADA office in multiple vehicles, with officials from Jalandhar, Chandigarh and Delhi involved in the operation. CRPF personnel also accompanied the teams during the search. Officials examined documents and records available at the office as part of the ongoing investigation.
The latest action comes amid the agency’s wider probe into the Suntec City project in New Chandigarh and other Mohali real estate projects. The investigation includes allegations relating to fraudulent CLU approvals, disputed consent documents, financial irregularities and suspected money laundering.
ED Probe Into Suntec City And CLU Approvals
The ED’s investigation has focused on allegations that forged consent letters were used to obtain CLU permissions for the Suntec City project. The agency has also been examining the role of officials and other entities connected with the approvals.
In May, the ED conducted searches at around a dozen locations in Mohali and Chandigarh linked to Suntec City, its promoter Ajay Sehgal and other real estate entities. The agency said at the time that consent letters carrying allegedly forged signatures and thumb impressions of landowners were used for obtaining CLU permissions. The investigation also covered allegations that more than ₹150 crore was collected from members of the Indian Cooperative Housing Building Society without execution of sale deeds.
Ajay Sehgal was subsequently arrested by the ED in connection with the money-laundering investigation. A Mohali court had also granted ED remand in May while the agency examined documentary evidence and the alleged money trail.
Former Senior Officials Questioned By ED
The investigation has also brought several government officials and departments under scrutiny.
Former Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma appeared before the ED in Jalandhar on September 9 and was questioned for several hours over matters connected with the Suntec City and Altus Space Builders projects. At the time of the decisions under investigation, Verma was heading the Housing and Urban Development Department.
The ED had also summoned the Mohali SSP in September, seeking records and information relating to the investigation into alleged cheating of farmers in the Suntec City project. The agency had previously sought details of the police investigation and related records.
Reports have also indicated that IAS officer Kanwalpreet Brar, who previously headed the Town and Country Planning Department, was questioned by the agency in August in connection with the matter.
ED Steps Up Scrutiny Of GMADA-Linked Projects
The latest raid at the GMADA office is significant because the agency is examining official records linked to CLU permissions and other approvals connected with the projects under investigation.
The ED had earlier searched properties linked to the case in May. During one such operation in Kharar, cash was reportedly thrown from a ninth-floor flat, with around ₹21 lakh subsequently recovered, according to reports at the time.
The broader investigation covers allegations involving Suntec City and other real estate projects, with the ED examining the alleged financial transactions, approval process and possible proceeds of crime. The agency has not yet publicly released detailed findings from Tuesday’s GMADA office search.