LDA clerk nabbed for land scam

SLEUTHS of the Economic Offences? Wing (EOW) picked up an LDA ?amin? (clerk), from his residence on Kanpur Road, in connection with irregularities in payment of property compensation.

SLEUTHS of the Economic Offences’ Wing (EOW) picked up an LDA ‘amin’ (clerk), from his residence on Kanpur Road, in connection with irregularities in payment of property compensation.

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Apart from ‘amin’ Hari Prasad Gupta, six other officials accused in the case include an additional district magistrate (land acquisition), two special land acquisition officers and an executive engineer of the LDA. The EOW also grilled LDA executive engineer VN Singh, who was an assistant engineer when the issue first came to light in 1985.

The case relates to the payment of compensation (approximately, Rs 5 lakh) allegedly in excess of the real value of the property to one Mohan Kapoor for khasra numbers 254/255 on Kanpur Road.

A complaint in the matter was made to the government following which the EOW conducted a preliminary inquiry in 1989 before finally registering an FIR against the seven accused in 2000.

And, though, the investigating agency had completed its probe, it could not proceed against the accused in the absence of requisite permission to arrest them from the State Government. The permission is still awaited. In the case of Gupta, the EOW had written to the LDA Vice Chairman seeking his nod to arrest him. The permission was duly and promptly granted following which Gupta, who was reportedly convalescing from an injury and was on bed, was picked up from his Kanpur Road residence.