Rs 9.87-cr assets attached in guava orchard scam

Investigating into the money laundering allegations against the accused in the infamous guava orchard compensation scam of Mohali, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Jalandhar Zonal Office, has provisionally attached their immovable properties and stocks worth Rs 9.87 crore.

The assets belong to masterminds Vikas Bhandari, his wife Ritika Bhandari, Bhupinder Singh, Karam Singh and Gurdeep Singh. The ED had initiated investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Vigilance Bureau, Punjab. The ED investigations so far have revealed that private persons, in connivance with government officials, availed wrongful compensation in lieu of guava orchards shown to be existing on the land to be acquired by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authrotity (GMADA) for setting up Aerotropolis Residential Project in Mohali.

To get maximum compensation, the trees were shown in higher density and their age was manipulated to get an increased compensation. Private persons had connived with revenue and horticulture officials and forged revenue records and got prepared favourable reports.

“Through such criminal activities, the accused acquired proceeds of crime worth crores,” the ED release mentioned.