The enforcement directorate raids conducted at several premises of TDI Group for over days are part of the investigation into the Gurgaon-Manesar land scam, the agency said on Friday. The searches were conducted on September 26 by the ED’s Chandigarh Zone-I office.
The enforcement directorate (ED) has linked the seized project records, files, digital devices, computers, hard disks, servers and luxury vehicles identified as “proceeds of crime” during searches lasting more than two days at business and residential premises linked to TDI Group chairman and several of its companies, including TDI Infratech and TDI Infrastructure, in New Delhi and Mohali.
The agency said the searches were linked to an ongoing money-laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, arising from a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR. In its latest statement, the ED said its investigation found that more than 400 acres of state-notified land in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula villages, earmarked for acquisition in 2007, was allegedly purchased by private builders and intermediaries from farmers at low prices amid the possibility of acquisition by Haryana State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC). The TDI Group is being investigated over alleged transactions with the Atul Bansal and ABW Infrastructure led group of companies during the period under investigation. The acquisition process subsequently lapsed and the award was dropped, after which the land was allegedly sold at significantly higher prices, generating substantial profits. The agency has identified the TDI Group, led by Ravinder Taneja, as one such intermediary.
The ED said several records relating to alleged irregularities in other projects also surfaced during the searches and are being examined. It said the scrutiny of seized records, alleged tainted assets and the financial affairs of TDI Group companies is underway and the further course of the investigation will determine subsequent action.
