Gurugram police probes illegal leasing of confiscated property in Sector 49

After confirming that the property was indeed in the possession of someone else, the ED lodged a complaint with the Gurugram police

A suspect has been booked by Gurugram police for allegedly renting out a confiscated property in a corporate park in Sector 49, which had been sealed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a multi-crore money laundering case nearly four years ago. The incident came to light in February 2021 when the park management noticed that the seals on the office premises, on the third floor of Tower-B3, had been broken.

ED alleged that the property had been registered in the name of a woman, and its confiscation was confirmed by the ED’s adjudicating authority on August 25, 2021 (File Photo)

According to police, the property was originally sealed by the ED on August 31, 2020. On July 18 of this year, an ED official visited the premises and discovered that a private firm was operating out of the office since February 2021, which had been confiscated. After confirming that the property was indeed in the possession of someone else, the ED lodged a complaint with the Gurugram police, leading to the registration of an FIR against the suspect under sections 188 (disobedience to order issued by a public servant), 448 (house trespass), and 453 (punishment for house-breaking) of the Indian Penal Code at Sector 50 police station on Sunday.

The FIR filed by the ED alleged that the property had been registered in the name of a woman, and its confiscation was confirmed by the ED’s adjudicating authority on August 25, 2021. The case is related to money laundering by a software firm that allegedly invested the proceeds of crime to purchase the office premises in Sector 49.

Sandeep Kumar, the public relations officer of Gurugram police, said that the rent agreement with the real estate firm was in the name of the mother of the prime suspect, likely to avoid detection. “Only after a detailed investigation, it will be clear if the property owner used the suspect as a decoy to rent it out or if he fraudulently captured it with other motives,” Kumar added.

Kumar said that a police team had visited the site to gather more information, and action against the suspect would follow soon. “We have procured his details. After his arrest, things will become clear further,” he added.