Dehradun: ED seizes Rs 2.20 crore property in govt land scam matter

Dehradun, Oct 3 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized immovable property valued at Rs 2.20 crore in a case linked to encroachment of government land in Dehradun by private persons in connivance with government's revenue department officials, an official said on Friday.

The assets attached by the probe agency includes land owned by Gopal Goenka, a key accused in the forgery and illegal land case, said an ED official of the Dehradun Sub Zonal Office.

The federal probe agency issued a Provisional Attachment Order on October 1 in the case of Sudhir Windlass and others under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 and attached Proceeds of Crime in the form of immovable property valued at Rs 2.20 crore.

“The attached property includes land owned by Gopal Goenka,” said the statement.

The ED initiated investigation on the basis of FIRs registered by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Dehradun under various Sections of IPC, 1860 in matters related to encroachment of government land by private persons in connivance with government revenue officials.

The ED investigation revealed that Goenka along with others had fraudulently sold two hectares of government land at Johri Village, Dehradun to private individuals by manipulating government revenue records in collusion with revenue officials.

It was revealed that revenue department documents like Khataunis and Khasra were tampered with by overwriting on the existing land area in the records.

The ED investigation further revealed that by selling 2 hectares of government land, Gopal Goenka generated ill-gotten money and used it to purchase more properties.

According to investigators, Windlass was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on December 21, 2023 following a complaint of land fraud.

The state government had ordered a CBI probe, which confirmed the allegations. A Special CBI Court in Dehradun subsequently convicted Windlass and two others, prompting them to challenge the verdict in the Uttarakhand High Court.

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