Raipur, Dec 31 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Raipur Zonal Office, has revealed significant findings from searches conducted on December 29 at multiple premises in Raipur and Mahasamund districts of Chhattisgarh.

The operations targeted alleged illegal compensation disbursements for land acquisition under the ambitious Raipur-Visakhapatnam Highway Project, part of the Centre’s Bharatmala Pariyojana scheme.

The ED initiated a money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, based on an FIR filed by the Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing (ACB/EOW).

The case centres on accusations against former Sub-Divisional Officer (Revenue) Nirbhay Sahu from Abhanpur, Raipur, private individual Harmeet Singh Khanuja, and several others.

They are alleged to have colluded with government officials to falsify records and fraudulently secure inflated compensation, a statement of the investigation agency said on Wednesday.

Investigations uncovered a sophisticated conspiracy where accused parties divided larger land parcels into multiple smaller holdings through back-dated entries.

This manipulation exploited compensation norms, allowing “deliberately dividing large land parcels” among family members and associates before acquisition.

Revenue records were reportedly tampered with to claim higher payouts, leading to the sanction and release of excessive illegal amounts.

These funds were allegedly routed to private beneficiaries, resulting in wrongful loss to the government exchequer and corresponding unlawful gains for the accused.

During the raids at residences linked to the key suspects, ED teams seized cash amounting to Rs. 40 lakh, digital devices, and various incriminating documents.

Additionally, several movable and immovable assets acquired in the names of involved persons – derived from proceeds of crime generated from the scheduled offence – were identified.

The Bharatmala Pariyojana, a flagship infrastructure initiative, aims to develop economic corridors like the Raipur-Visakhapatnam stretch to boost connectivity and reduce logistics costs. However, earlier probes by state agencies had flagged irregularities, including embezzlement of crores through similar tactics, prompting the ED’s intervention.

The agency stated that further investigation is underway to trace the full extent of the proceeds of crime and attach additional assets.

This action underscores growing scrutiny of transparency in large-scale public projects involving land acquisition.

–IANS

sktr/dan