ED Probes Money Laundering Allegations Against Former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in a money laundering case in Delhi. The allegations involve favouring private builders in Manesar, near Gurugram, during his tenure as CM. Previously, the ED filed a supplementary chargesheet in a land scam case in Manesar, implicating several prominent builders. The investigation began after the CBI initiated a probe based on an FIR filed by the Gurugram police.

The significant aspect of this case is that ED initiated its investigation after the Gurugram police and later the CBI filed FIRs, marking the start of a probe into alleged irregularities in land deals. The CBI had accused 34 individuals, including former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in connection with the case.

Following the CBI's charges, the ED filed a separate case related to money laundering, and properties worth ₹108.79 crore have been attached so far. The chargesheet names prominent builders, including ABW Infrastructure Limited, its owner Atul Bansal, his wife Sona Bansal, Mahamaya Export Private Limited, Shashikant Chourasia, Dilip Lalwani, Virender Uppal, Vijay Uppal, Ravinder Taneja, TDI Infrastructure Limited, Vatika Realtors Private Limited, and ABW Refcon Infrastructure Private Limited.

The chargesheet alleges that these builders manipulated farmers in Manesar, Naurangpur, and Lakhnaula by instilling fear of land acquisition and purchased approximately 350 acres at rates as low as ₹20-25 lakh per acre. ED claims that, acting on the builders' influence, the then Congress government issued a notification for immediate land acquisition. The builders subsequently sold the acquired land at a much higher rate, resulting in significant losses for the original landowners.

The investigation also revealed that ABWIL Group, owned by Atul Bansal, acquired the most land from the farmers. Later, other builders sold the purchased land at higher rates. The government withdrew the land acquisition notification in 2007, causing a loss of approximately ₹1,500 crore to the landowners.

In summary, the ED's probe into money laundering allegations against Bhupinder Singh Hooda is part of a larger investigation involving irregularities in land deals during his tenure as Haryana's Chief Minister.