Former MLA and Official Accused of Stealing Rs 100 Crore from HSVP

A massive financial scandal has been exposed in Haryana where a former MLA and a government official allegedly stole around Rs 100 crore from the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP). The Enforcement Directorate has revealed shocking details about how they carried out this elaborate fraud. Former MLA Ramniwas Surjakhera, who worked as an accountant before entering politics, is accused of fraudulently opening HSVP accounts in Punjab National Bank, Manimajra, to steal the massive amount. His partner in crime was Sunil Kumar Bansal, a senior accounts officer who helped execute the scam.

The fraud came to light when HSVP filed a complaint at Sector 7 police station in Panchkula in March 2023. They discovered that from 2015 to 2019, huge amounts of money were being transferred to unknown parties without any proper reason. An internal investigation found that transactions at the Manimajra bank branch were not showing up in HSVP's official records, proving the accounts were being operated illegally.

The ED started investigating the case in October 2023 and found that during the scam period, Ramniwas worked as accounts assistant until 2017, while Bansal served as senior accounts officer until 2019. This gave them perfect access to manipulate the financial system.

How the Scam Worked 

The investigation revealed a clever but illegal operation. A branch head of IDBI Bank in Lohgarh told ED that both accused men came to his house to arrange opening of several bank accounts. They specifically said that large amounts of cash would be withdrawn from these accounts, which were opened in names of various people. 

The bank official explained their method: "They would call me before money was transferred from HSVP accounts, and again after the transfer to confirm the amounts were deposited. Then they would instruct me over phone to arrange cash withdrawals from these accounts."

During the court hearing, ED lawyers revealed that more than Rs 100 crore was withdrawn in cash from this single bank branch during the fraud period.

Victims Were Tricked

ED discovered that several innocent people became unknowing participants in this scam. These people had come to HSVP office to claim compensation for their land that the government had acquired. Ramniwas approached them and offered to help get their compensation faster.

In return, he asked them to provide details of bank accounts belonging to them or their family members. He told them that HSVP would transfer money to these accounts - different from their actual compensation amount. He promised that this money would either be returned to them in cash or transferred as per his instructions.

These victims told ED that after the money was deposited in their accounts, they withdrew it and handed it over to Ramniwas and Bansal as instructed.

Lavish Lifestyle from Stolen Money

The investigation found that Ramniwas didn't just keep the stolen money in his own accounts. He also used accounts belonging to his family members, including his wife Manjit. ED discovered that a Toyota Fortuner car was bought using the stolen money and later transferred to the former MLA's name. Bansal used his share of the stolen money to live a very expensive lifestyle. According to the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, he bought a house in Sector 7, Panchkula worth Rs 3.07 crore and later sold it for Rs 7 crore. He also purchased a plot in Sector 6, Panchkula for Rs 2.40 crore and spent Rs 1.5 crore building a house there.

His property investments didn't stop there. Bansal bought two commercial properties worth over Rs 1.5 crore in Barwala, Panchkula, and another house in Sector 6, Mansa Devi Complex worth Rs 1.33 crore. He also owns two plots in Derabassi and 16 flats in Krishna Enclave, Derabassi, all purchased with the stolen money.

Court Rejects Bail

Ramniwas Surjakhera was arrested on June 9 in connection with this case. Today, the Special Court rejected his bail application, saying the money laundering allegations are too serious to grant him bail at this stage. The court stated: "In the face of very serious allegations of money laundering, it is not possible, at this stage, to grant concession of bail to the applicant-accused either on merit or on the ground of alleged violation of fundamental rights of the accused."