The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a major search operation across Chhattisgarh on Monday, targeting multiple premises in connection with a suspected multi-crore land acquisition scam linked to the national Bharatmala road project. The raids are part of a money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in compensation payments for land acquired for the crucial Raipur–Visakhapatnam economic corridor.
Widespread Searches Across Raipur and Mahasamund
A 12-member ED team, backed by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, arrived in Raipur early Monday and fanned out across nine locations in Raipur and Mahasamund districts. The search parties, travelling in four vehicles, are examining properties linked to land brokers, their relatives, associates, some government officials, and landowners who received compensation for the project.
One team raided the residence of a transporter identified as Harmit Singh Chawla in Raipur. Simultaneously, another team searched the premises of a businessman in Mahasamund. Digital devices and documents related to land transactions and compensation payments have been seized for forensic examination, and statements of individuals connected to the case are being recorded on the spot.
The Core of the Alleged Scam
The investigation stems from a case flagged by the Chhattisgarh state Economic Offences Wing (EOW). It revolves around the alleged manipulation in the valuation and disbursal of compensation for land acquired in the Abhanpur belt near Raipur for the Bharatmala corridor.
According to the EOW's findings, the scam in one segment alone is estimated at approximately Rs 43 crore. The agency alleges that land which should have attracted compensation of around Rs 29.5 crore was fraudulently shown at over Rs 70 crore. This inflation was achieved through artificial splitting of land parcels and manipulation of records.
In villages like Nayakbandha and Urla in Abhanpur, larger land holdings were broken into 159 smaller chunks (khasra numbers). Investigators claim that about 80 new names were illegally inserted into the revenue records to claim compensation, forming part of a suspected syndicate involving revenue officials and land dealers.
Massive Funds and Political Allegations
For the 9.38 km stretch of the project in the Abhanpur belt, a total compensation of Rs 324 crore was sanctioned. Of this, a substantial sum of Rs 246 crore has already been disbursed. The payment of the remaining Rs 78 crore has been put on hold following the probe.
The EOW had earlier indicated that at least Rs 32 crore appears to have been siphoned off through inflated compensation, forged documents, and backdated entries. The opposition Congress party has alleged that the scale of the scam could be much larger, potentially involving irregularities of Rs 350 crore or more across the broader project area.
ED sources stated that Monday's searches are focused on tracing the money trail, identifying the ultimate beneficiaries, and corroborating the EOW's findings with concrete banking and digital evidence. The agency is specifically looking into "backdated documents, benami entries, and suspicious transfers" in accounts linked to private individuals, their associates, and public servants involved in the process.
