ED attaches Rs 2.42 cr assets in NHAI fund misuse case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth Rs 2.42 crore belonging to a former District Revenue Officer (DRO) of Panchkula in Haryana and a middleman in a cheating case, the agency said on Wednesday.

The attached assets belong to Naresh Kumar Sheokand, who served previously as DRO of Panchkula, and the middleman, Shamshad.

The properties in the form of residential flats located at Panchkula, Haryana and Noida worth Rs 2.42 crore belonging to Sheokand and Shamshad were attached under the Prevention of Money-laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

The ED initiated a money-laundering investigation against Sheokand and others on the basis of the First Information Report (FIR) registered by the State Vigilance Bureau, Haryana and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 for criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and criminal misconduct of public servant.

The investigation by the ED revealed that Sheokand in connivance with other private persons had fraudulently transferred National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) funds for acquisition to the ineligible landowners, causing wrongful loss to the exchequer to the tune of Rs 37.89 crore (37,84,00,000).

The ED in its investigation further revealed that these funds which are proceeds of crime were further routed to different bank accounts, withdrawn in cash and invested in the purchase of various other properties.

( With inputs from ANI )

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