The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted searches at several locations in Arunachal Pradesh and seized ₹2.2 crore in cash as part of a money laundering probe linked to the alleged Trans-Arunachal Highway compensation scam, officials said.
Six properties in Itanagar and one each in Likabali (Lower Siang District) and Aalo (West Siang District) were raided under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). These include the posts of Deputy Commissioner, DLRSO (District Land Revenue and Settlement), Assessing Officers besides private receivers and management, officials said.
The Trans-Arunachal Highway compensation scam case involves “widespread” irregularities in the assessment, certification and payment of land acquisition compensation involving government employees and private beneficiaries.
The project covered a stretch of 157.70 km across Yachuli, Ziro and Raga sectors.
The probe found that Deputy Commissioner Ziro initially prepared the compensation estimate ₹289.40 crore for the Potin-Bopi section.
However, at the state level meeting, the compensation package was frozen and limited to ₹198.56 crore, ED officials said.
During the payment of the compensation amount, funds were “diverted” to savings accounts and many checks were issued to “bogus” payees, resulting in a loss ₹44 crore to the exchequer, they said.
This was done by preparing and certifying inflated and notional assessments of structures in the Yazali sector of the Trans-Arunachal Highway (Potin-Bopi) project. Non-existent structures and ineligible beneficiaries, ED, were included.
Amount in cash ₹2.2 billion crowns were found in one of the buildings belonging to the “fake” beneficiary, officials said.
