11 Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran accounts used to defraud Rs 225 cr: ED

In a new twist to the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) scam, it has been revealed that not one, but 11 accounts were used to siphon off Rs 225.51 crore, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said. Two lower-rung officials of the HSVP’s accounts department, Sunil Kumar Bansal, who was the mastermind, and Ramniwas Surjakhera, allegedly directed the transfer of funds through emails to banks to specific individuals and entities, and took the money back from them.

Later, Surjakhera used the cash in the “process of securing” a ticket from the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) in 2019, spent on election expenses, and became an MLA from Narwana, claimed the ED in its prosecution complaint filed before a Panchkula court.

"There is no evidence against Surjakhera. Witnesses have deposed against him under pressure," counsel for Surjakhera, Abhishek Singh Rana, claimed.

Bansal was involved in inter-account fund transfers and expenditure decisions. He was allegedly operating accounts in Punjab National Bank (PNB) and Union Bank of India based on unauthenticated emails and forged letters. Bank officials even acted on his verbal instructions for credits and debits from the accounts. He closed the main fraudulent account in PNB’s Manimajra branch, from which about Rs 70 crore was defrauded, a day before his retirement. The initial investigation began with this account, but later, the ED discovered that the same individuals had received money from 10 more HSVP accounts.

For layering, the money was transferred into accounts of individuals, who confessed to the ED that the money had been withdrawn and handed over to the accused. A part of the money, Rs 15.64 crore, was also allegedly diverted to M/s Altus Space Builders for benami properties.

Failure of HSVP, banks

Pointing towards “systematic failure” on the part of PNB (Manimajra branch) and Union Bank of India (Sector 17 branch, Chandigarh) and its officers, the ED said banks failed to maintain “Account Opening Forms, Know Your Customer records, letters of authority, or account-related documentation” for government accounts, in “complete violation of RBI guidelines and internal banking policies”.

PNB processed transactions worth crores based on emails that lacked any signature or official stamps from an unofficial email ID controlled by Bansal; letters without any official stamp and forged signatures; and telephonic confirmations from his personal number. Similarly, the Union Bank of India, which was maintaining accounts in the name of Land Acquisition Officers of HSVP, allowed withdrawals based on forged signatures and fabricated documents, lacking seals, approved references, or any validating authority.

On the HSVP, the ED said it failed to maintain or recover any records related to the opening or operation of the accounts where the fraud took place.

The other accused

Besides Bansal and Surjakhera, the ED has mentioned three more accused in its prosecution complaint: Balwinder Singh, who allegedly got Rs 54.51 crore, Harinder Pal Singh, who allegedly received Rs 41.23 crore, and Ranjit Singh, who allegedly got Rs 24.85 crore in their accounts. Twelve people are absconding.

Besides movable properties, three houses in Sector 26 (Panchkula), 26 plots in Majri and Kharar of SAS Nagar, and 30 land parcels of various sizes in Ambala, ranging from a few marlas to 79 kanals, have been attached in the case.