ED finds cash, land trail from Khanuja

 

 

 

 

THE Enforcement Directorate Raipur Zonal Office (ED-RPZO) on Tuesday claimed to have recovered cash and key documents after concluding marathon search and seizure operations lasting nearly 15 hours at multiple premises linked to Bharatmala project compensation scam accused Harmeet Singh Khanuja in Raipur and Mahasamund. The searches, which began at around 6 am on Monday, ended late at night with ED teams seizing more than Rs 40 lakh in cash along with records pointing to a wider land and asset trail connected to alleged scam.

 

Sources confirmed that the cash was recovered from Khanuja’s residence in La Vista Colony, where it was found packed inside a sack-like bag. A substantial volume of documents and digital devices was also seized. Officials were seen leaving the premises late at night carrying the recovered cash and records, marking a significant development in the money laundering angle of the case. During the course of the operation, investigators established that Khanuja owns a luxury residential unit at the Avinash One project in Raipur.

 

Acting on this input, a separate ED team conducted parallel searches at the Avinash One premises to verify ownership details, investment timelines and funding sources. The agency is examining whether the property was acquired using proceeds linked to inflated compensation payouts under the Bharatmala project. The probe further revealed that Khanuja had purchased a large parcel of land within La Vista Colony itself. According to officials, both the office-related transactions and the land purchase were executed during the period when the Bharatmala compensation scam was allegedly at its peak, strengthening suspicions that illicit proceeds were parked in high-value real estate.

 

In Mahasamund district, ED teams simultaneously carried out searches at the vehicle showroom of Jasbir Singh Bagga, a relative of Khanuja. The operation at the showroom continued for nearly 10 hours. Sources said investigators gathered details of multiple movable and immovable properties held in the names of Khanuja and Bagga, indicating a wider asset network under scrutiny. ED sources indicated that the next phase of action will focus on businessmen operating in Abhanpur, Raipur, Basna Saraipali and Dhamtari who allegedly received compensation running into crores under the Bharatmala project.

 

Investigators have flagged a pattern in which land parcels were fragmented in the names of parents, spouses, sons and daughters to maximise compensation claims. Many of these beneficiaries operate businesses along the main roads of Abhanpur. Local accounts accessed during the probe suggest that these families have repeatedly emerged as compensation beneficiaries whenever national highways were constructed or railway lines laid over the decades.

 

In the Bharatmala project as well, ED suspects collusion between private beneficiaries, revenue officials and select highway-planning authorities. Khanuja is accused of executing the alleged fraud in collusion with revenue officials, including then Sub-Divisional Officer Nirbhay Sahu and Tehsildar Shashikant Kurre, across Abhanpur and surrounding subdivisions.