The Enforcement Directorate has on Friday seized about ₹2.2 crore in cash after conducting searches at multiple locations in Arunachal Pradesh in connection with an alleged money laundering case linked to irregularities in compensation paid for the Trans-Arunachal Highway project.
Searches were carried out at eight premises under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, including six locations in Itanagar and one each in Likabali in Lower Siang district and Aalo in West Siang district. The premises included those linked to the Deputy Commissioner, officials of the District Land Revenue and Settlement Office, assessment officials, and private beneficiaries and conduits.
The case relates to alleged large-scale irregularities in the assessment, certification and disbursement of land acquisition compensation for a 157.70-km stretch of the Trans-Arunachal Highway covering the Yachuli, Ziro and Raga sectors.
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Investigators found that the Deputy Commissioner, Ziro, had initially prepared a compensation estimate of ₹289.40 crore for the Potin–Bopi stretch. However, during a state-level meeting, the compensation package was frozen at ₹198.56 crore.
Despite this, during the disbursement process, funds were allegedly diverted to savings bank accounts and cheques were issued to fake beneficiaries, resulting in a loss of about ₹44 crore to the exchequer.
The alleged diversion was carried out by preparing and certifying inflated and fictitious assessments of structures in the Yazali sector of the Potin–Bopi project. Non-existent structures and ineligible beneficiaries were included in the compensation list.
Officials said the ₹2.2 crore in cash was recovered from a premises belonging to one such fake beneficiary.
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