Hacienda Projects Scam: ED Conducts Raids At Multiple Locations

During the search operations, various incriminating documents, digital evidence and cash and jewellery worth Rs 42.56 crore have been recovered and seized, ED officials informed.

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): The Lucknow Zonal Office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted search operations at 18 locations in Delhi, Noida, Meerut, Chandigarh, and Goa on September 17 and 18, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 in connection with the fraud committed by Hacienda Projects Private Limited, its promoters/directors and others.

During the search operations, various incriminating documents, digital evidence and cash and jewellery worth Rs 42.56 crore have been recovered and seized, ED posted on its X handle.

"ED, Lucknow conducted search operations on 17.09.2024 and 18.09.2024 at 18 locations in Delhi, Noida, Meerut, Chandigarh and Goa under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 in connection with the fraud committed by M/s Hacienda Projects Pvt Ltd, its promoters/directors and others. During the search operation, various crime-indicating documents, digital evidence, total cash and jewellery worth Rs 42.56 crore (approx) have been recovered and seize," the X post reads.

Earlier on Thursday, ED had conducted a raid at the residence of retired IAS of Uttar Pradesh cadres and former Noida Authority CEO, Mohinder Singh, in connection with a Rs 300 crore housing scam, in Chandigarh.

According to sources, gold jewellery worth Rs 7 crore, diamonds worth Rs 12 crore and Rs one crore in cash along with many incriminating documents were recovered from the spot.

Singh was the CEO of Noida Authority for a long time during the BSP regime. His reach was so wide that being the CEO of Noida Authority, he simultaneously held the positions of the chairman of Noida, Greater Noida, Yamuna Authority. Singh’s name appeared for the first time during the Supertech and Amrapali scam.

It is alleged that when Singh was the CEO of Noida Authority, land worth crores of rupees was sold to builders for a pittance. Noida Authority used its veto to allot lands to builders at a 10 per cent commission instead of 30 per cent. Supertech and Amrapali Group reportedly benefited the most from this. The 1978-batch IAS officer retired on July 31, 2012.

Due to his alleged influence in the then BSP government, no action was taken against Singh at that time as whatever investigation was conducted, it was stalled.

After the installation of the BJP government in UP in 2017, CAG's investigation into the financial irregularities in the authority from 2005 to 2015 revealed that most of the scams took place during the tenure of Singh. At present, the investigation of this matter is going on.