ED searches in Punjab in guava orchards compensation scam case

Chandigarh: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple locations in at least Punjab’s eight districts in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged guava orchards compensation scam of Rs 137 crore, officials said.

Taking cognisance of a Punjab Vigilance Bureau case pertaining to alleged embezzlement of nearly Rs 137 crore released as compensation for guava orchards on land acquired by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), the ED had registered the case.

Search operations were conducted in the residence of state’s Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Varun Roojam, in Chandigarh, besides the residence of Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Dhiman and his chartered accountant Anil Arora in Patiala.

Raid was also carried out at the residence of Bhupinder Singh, the main accused in the scam, in Mohali district.

The Vigilance Bureau had arrested a number of people, including horticulture department officials, in this case.

The vigilance had registered an FIR in the case on May 3 last year. A total of nearly 30 people have been arrested.

The ED has sought records of compensation and the details of bank accounts of farmers related to the illegal compensation scam involving planting of guava trees in Mohali district, the epicenter of the scam.

In a letter to the chief administrator of Mohali, the ED had stated that as per an FIR registered by the Vigilance Bureau, it has been found that in 2016 GMADA started the process of acquiring land of various villages in Mohali.

The government had issued various notices on December 5, 2017, under section 4, on October 17, 2019 under section 11, and on January 8, 2021, under section 19 of the Land Acquisition Act.

The fraud, zeroed in the Barakpur village, involved collusion among officials from the Horticulture and Revenue departments, besides GMADA and private individuals.

In 2016-17, the government officials, who had knowledge about the land acquisitions, allegedly purchased the land and planted guava trees to get bigger compensation. They manipulated records, claiming the trees were planted in 2016. In reality, the saplings were planted in 2018.