Raipur, March 16 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) Raipur Zonal Office has provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs 23.35 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with an alleged fraud in land acquisition compensation for the Raipur–Visakhapatnam National Highway project under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.

The investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW)/Anti-Corruption Bureau in Chhattisgarh.

A charge sheet has already been filed in the Special Court (Prevention of Corruption Act) in Raipur against Harmeet Singh Khunjia — also referred to as Harmeet Singh Khanuja in related records — and others under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act, the ED said in a statement.

According to the agency, a criminal conspiracy was allegedly orchestrated involving land brokers, private individuals and certain public servants.

The accused are alleged to have manipulated the land acquisition process to secure excess compensation for land acquired for the highway project.

After the issuance of a notification on January 30, 2020, land parcels were allegedly subdivided fraudulently by falsifying and backdating revenue records, which artificially inflated the compensation amounts payable by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Key accused, including Harmeet Singh Khunjia, Khemraj Koshele, Punuram Deshlahare and Kundan Baghel, allegedly induced landowners to sign affidavits, applications and revenue documents.

With the assistance of certain government officials, they allegedly facilitated the manipulation of land records, resulting in the disbursal of compensation amounts far exceeding legitimate entitlements.

Multiple bank accounts were opened in the names of landowners, into which the inflated compensation funds were credited.

Subsequently, using pre-signed blank cheques and fabricated banking documents, a large portion of the funds was transferred to accounts controlled by Harmeet Singh Khunjia, his relatives, associates and related entities.

According to the ED, the landowners were left with only their legitimate compensation or a marginally higher amount, while the siphoned funds were allegedly laundered.

The agency said it traced Rs 27.05 crore as proceeds of crime, out of which properties worth Rs 23.35 crore have been provisionally attached under Section 5 of the PMLA.

The attachment includes several movable and immovable assets linked to the accused.

The ED said further investigation is underway to uncover the full extent of the alleged conspiracy and identify other beneficiaries.

The Bharatmala Pariyojana, a flagship national highway development programme, has previously come under scrutiny in Chhattisgarh over alleged irregularities in land compensation, with earlier raids and seizures reported in late 2025 and early 2026.

–IANS

sktr/pgh