ED Attaches Rs 122-Cr Worth Assets Of Haryana Congress MLA, Ex-INLD Legislator In 'Illegal' Mining Case

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NEW DELHI: More than 100 acres of agricultural land and other immovable assets worth about Rs 122 crore of Haryana Congress MLA Surender Panwar, former INLD legislator Dilbag Singh and some other individuals have been attached under the anti-money laundering law in an alleged illegal mining case, the Enforcement Directorate said on Monday.

"All these properties are registered in the name of persons and entities, running a syndicate managed and controlled by Dilbag Singh and Surender Panwar, who indulged in large-scale illegal mining of sand, boulder and gravel in the Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana and some adjacent districts," the central agency said in a statement.

Dilbag Singh and Panwar, a 55-year-old Congress legislator from the Sonipat assembly seat, were raided and arrested by the ED recently in this case. The 145 immovable properties include more than 100 acres of agricultural land, some commercial plots and buildings -- all worth about Rs 122 crore. These assets are located in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat, Karnal, Yamuna Nagar, Chandigarh, Panchkula and other districts of Punjab and Haryana and they belong to Dilbag Singh, Panwar, Inderpal Singh, Manoj Wadhwa, Kulwinder Singh (of PS Buildtech), Angad Singh Makkar and Bhupinder Singh, it said.

A provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been issued by the ED to attach these assets. The money laundering case stems from multiple FIRs registered by the Haryana Police under various sections of the IPC and Environment Protection Act, 1986 related to illegal mining of sand, boulder-gravel and boulder-gravel-sand in Yamuna Nagar against various mining lease holder companies and others.

Those booked were companies namelyMubarikpur Royalty Company, Development Strategies (India) Pvt Ltd, Delhi Royalty Company, JSM Foods Pvt Ltd and PS Buildtech apart from various screening plants, stone crushers and associated persons. The agency said that it estimates that proceeds of crime worth more than RS 300 crore were generated out of this "illegal" mining.

The act of illegal excavation and sale of minor minerals was done by these five mining contractors of Yamuna Nagar District. This was done through illegal transportation of the mined minerals without generating the requisite e-Rawana bills from the Mining department portal, or by production of fake physical copies of the e-Rawana bills, it claimed.

Cash generated from these illegal activities was distributed among these members as beneficiaries of the mining entities, the ED said. After the raid and arrests by the ED, the Congress had accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of misusing central agencies against opposition leaders. Assembly polls in Haryana are due later this year.