The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Jalandhar Zonal Office, has summoned Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) Chief Administrator Sandeep Kumar in connection with their ongoing money-laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in Change of Land Use (CLU) approvals granted to Suntec City and Altus Space Builders Pvt Ltd projects.

The GMADA chief administrator, or an authorised representative not below the rank of a gazetted officer, has been directed to appear before the ED office in Jalandhar on Monday and produce records related to the probe, according to sources.

Confirming receipt of the ED summons, the GMADA chief administrator told The Indian Express, “We have received the summons from the ED. Whatever records have been sought by the agency will be produced before them. GMADA will fully cooperate with the investigation, and any additional records required by the ED will also be provided.”

According to sources, the chief administrator is required “to give evidence and for production of records” in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) investigation. The agency has also warned that the failure to comply with the summons could attract action, sources said.

Notably, the summons came days after the ED carried out simultaneous searches at around a dozen locations in Mohali, Chandigarh, New Chandigarh and Patiala on May 8 in this connection.

The searches were carried out at Indian Cooperative Housing Building Society — promoter of Suntec City — along with its office-bearers Ajay Sehgal and Suresh Kumar Bajaj, Altus Space Builders Pvt Ltd, ABS Townships Pvt Ltd, Dhir Constructions and its promoter Gaurav Dhir, besides alleged middleman Nitin Gohal.

The searches reportedly continued for over 36 hours at multiple premises, including Gohal’s residence in Kharar and the Mohali residence of Pritpal Dhindsa.

ED opening ‘Pandora’s box’ of corruption in AAP govt: Majithia

Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia on Saturday alleged that the ongoing ED probe linked to searches on AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora has opened a “Pandora’s box” of alleged corruption within the Punjab government, claiming the investigation could eventually expose links reaching “to the very top”.

Addressing the media in Mohali, Majithia alleged that crucial evidence connected to an alleged multi-crore corruption case was destroyed a day before the ED raids conducted in Ludhiana on April 17.

He claimed that on April 16, offices were allegedly opened around 5 am at the direction of Sanjeev Arora and officials and employees were urgently summoned under the pretext of an emergency meeting.

Majithia said important files and records were allegedly removed or destroyed during the early morning exercise in an attempt to eliminate evidence linked to alleged corruption cases. “This is not an ordinary incident. It points towards a serious administrative development where the role of government officials also needs to be examined,” he added.

Majithia said the“moral and administrative responsibility” of the matter rested with Punjab Chief Secretary Kumar Anugrah Prasad Sinha, also known as KAP Sinha, along with his team of bureaucrats, and demanded that central investigating agencies summon and question all officials connected with the matter.

The SAD leader further alleged that the ED probe into land dealings in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh and Eco City projects linked to GMADA was uncovering “irregularities involving fraudulent CLU approvals, benami transactions, manipulation of land records and irregular issuance of NOCs”.

“After land-use changes and urban planning approvals, land prices in certain areas rose from around Rs 3.5 crore per acre to nearly Rs 7 crore per acre within months,” he alleged.

Targeting Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Majithia said, “A government which projected itself as a symbol of honest politics was now facing allegations of corruption, destruction of evidence and administrative misuse.”

“Now is not the time to shout. Wait for your turn. Nobody will escape here; everyone will be caught,” Majithia added.