Punjab: Property worth Rs 5 crore of Improvement Trust officials confiscated
Punjab: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Jalandhar has provisionally attached immovable properties and bank balances worth Rs 5.58 crore of Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) officials. The properties of the then LIT Chairman Raman Bala Subramaniam, Executive Officer Kuljit Kaur, New Senior Secondary School Society, Sarabha Nagar, Ludhiana and others have been attached under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED initiated the investigation on the basis of two FIRs registered by the Vigilance Bureau, Ludhiana under various sections of the IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act.
The ED investigation revealed that the LIT officials in connivance with some private individuals allotted plots of their choice to some individuals, granted illegal waiver of non-construction charges, overlooked violations of allotment conditions in lieu of bribes, besides allotting plots to some ineligible persons and entities. The investigation further revealed that the proceeds of crime were deposited in bank accounts and invested in immovable properties. On August 24, 2023, searches were conducted at six locations and about Rs 31 lakh was seized/frozen under Section 17 of the PMLA.
