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Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday launched a sweeping operation, conducting raids at 20 locations, spreading across eight districts, in Punjab, targeting individuals, including two IAS officers, allegedly involved in a money-laundering scheme related to the Rs 137-crore guava orchard compensation scam.
Among the premises raided were the residences of high-ranking officials, including the state's Excise and Taxation Commissioner Varun Roojam located in Chandigarh’s Sector 20, and that of Ferozepur's Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Dhiman and his chartered accountant Anil Arora in Patiala. Furthermore, raids were conducted at the residence of Bhupinder Singh, the primary accused in the scam, situated in Mohali district. The raids are also being conducted at Barakpur village — the epicenter of the scam.
The raids are part of an ongoing investigation into the elaborate financial irregularities surrounding the fraudulent disbursement of compensation funds for guava orchards acquired by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).
At the time of filing the report, the search operation at Excise Commissioner Roojam’s residence, which has been ongoing for 14 hours, was still underway.
The investigation was initiated based on a case filed by Punjab Vigilance Bureau concerning the suspected embezzlement of nearly Rs 137 crore allocated as compensation for guava orchards acquired by GMADA. The ED, upon registering the case, proceeded with searches at various key locations.
The Vigilance Bureau, which had previously arrested multiple individuals, including officials from the state Horticulture Department, has been actively investigating the case since May 3 of the preceding year. Nearly 30 people have been arrested in the matter. Notably, the VB had registered the case under Sections 409, 420, 465, 466, 468, 471, 120-B of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 13(1) (a), 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act in Mohali on May 2, 2023.
The ED’s intervention stemmed from a deepening probe into the alleged financial irregularities associated with the compensation scheme, with the agency seeking detailed records of compensation, bank accounts of farmers related to the matter.
In a letter addressed to GMADA’s chief administrator, the ED emphasized the urgency of the matter, citing findings from the Vigilance Bureau’s FIR, which highlighted collusion among various departments and private entities. The fraudulent activities primarily revolved around the planting of guava trees in Mohali’s Barakpur village, orchestrated through falsified documents and manipulated land acquisition processes.
In 2016, GMADA initiated the process of acquiring land in various villages in Mohali. Subsequently, the government issued several notices pertaining to the acquisition process, including notifications on December 5, 2017, under section 4; on October 17, 2019, under section 11; and on January 8, 2021, under section 19 of the Land Acquisition Act.
During 2016-17, government officials with insider knowledge of the land acquisitions allegedly purchased land and planted guava trees to inflate compensation amounts. They falsified records, falsely claiming that the trees were planted in 2016 when, in reality, they were planted in 2018.
The name of Jasmine Kaur Dhiman, the wife of Rajesh Dhiman, is listed as a beneficiary who got handsome compensation wrongfully in lieu of the land acquired by GMADA at Bakarpur village. It was also alleged that Varun Roojam had invested in the orchard through his family members on the persuasion of Rajesh Dhiman, the then Additional Chief Administrator (ACA) of GMADA.
Though ED officials were tightlipped, a senior directorate official confirmed that incriminating documents were found dumped in a garbage bin near Roojam’s house in Sector 20, Chandigarh, while the raids were on.
“We had sought records pertaining to the scam from GMADA as the Sections invoked under the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act are scheduled offences under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act,” an ED official said.
“The accused colluded with officials of the state horticulture and land revenue departments, wrongfully obtaining compensation for guava orchards from the government for which they were not entitled. There are more than 100 beneficiaries who were wrongfully compensated from 2016-20,” an official said.
According to the VB FIR, Bhupinder Singh — a resident of Bakarpur and a property dealer — in connivance with the officials and employees of GMADA, Revenue and Horticulture Departments, along with his colleagues Mukesh Jindal and Vikas Bhandari, started planting guava orchards on the agriculture land by getting land on general power of attorney. The accused prepared fake revenue documents, stated the VB probe.
Main accused Bhupinder Singh had taken a compensation of Rs 23.79 crore for guava plantations for himself and his family, while Dhiman’s wife was paid a compensation of Rs 1.17 crore. Mukesh Jindal of Bathinda took a compensation of Rs 13.93 crore, while Patiala-based chartered accountant Anil Arora was paid Rs 1.14 crore as compensation. The VB arrested Horticulture Development Officer Jaspreet Singh Sidhu, who was then posted at Kharar and Dera Bassi, in January this year.
In September last year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered the accused beneficiaries to deposit a total of Rs 72.36 crore of which Rs 43.72 crore was given till January 30 this year.
