E-Paper
CLU money-laundering probe: Anurag Verma skips ED summons; seeks fresh date for appearance
Verma is said to have sought an extension for his appearance after he was asked by the federal agency to appear in person at its regional office in Jalandhar on Monday
Prefer HTon Google
Punjab-cadre IAS officer Anurag Verma skipped the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate on Monday in connection with its ongoing probe into the scam related to the Mohali-based Suntec City and Altus Space Builders Private Limited case.
Verma is said to have sought an extension for his appearance after he was asked by the federal agency to appear in person at its regional office in Jalandhar on Monday.
“Anurag Verma has written to the investigation officer concerned of the feeding agency, seeking adjournment of the hearing. He will be re-summoned in near future,” an officer privy to the investigation said.
However, the reasons behind seeking the extension were not disclosed.
A former Punjab chief secretary, Verma, who is presently posted as additional chief secretary-cum-financial commissioner (revenue), is the second IAS officer to be summoned by the agency in the case. He served in the department of housing and urban development on different crucial positions over the years.
Earlier, the agency quizzed another IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar twice in the same case on August 18 and August 27.
Inside the ED probe
On July 20, the ED filed a nearly 3,500-page prosecution complaint before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mohali.
In the complaint, the agency has accused realtor Ajay Sehgal of being the alleged mastermind behind the generation and concealment of proceeds of crime estimated at ₹348 crore. Sehgal, described by the ED as a key promoter of the Suntec City project, was arrested on May 22.
The ED is probing the process for granting CLU (change of land use) permissions, scrutiny and verification of applications, alleged violations of Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) provisions and the role of competent authorities in detecting purportedly fraudulent consent letters.
The money-laundering case stems from an FIR registered at the Mullanpur police station in November 2022 against Sehgal and other office-bearers of the Indian Cooperative Housing Building Society, including Suresh Kumar Bajaj, Aashish Kamra and Rajesh Girdhar. They were accused of allegedly cheating landowners and customers through fraudulent CLUs and related documents.
According to ED, Sehgal, who was associated with the society, allegedly submitted forged consent letters to the department of town and country planning to obtain CLUs for 108.58 acres of agricultural land for residential and commercial development.
The agency has alleged that the CLUs subsequently formed the basis for obtaining a licence from the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) and registration of the project under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA).
According to the prosecution complaint, ED has quantified the alleged proceeds of crime at approximately ₹348 crore, comprising around ₹212.58 crore in sales and ₹135.41 crore in unsold inventory.
