The Enforcement Directorate has expanded its money laundering investigation into Tirupati Infraprojects to examine alleged irregularities in GMADA land dealings across Punjab. The agency said searches and surveys at 26 locations covered Delhi, Mohali, Chandigarh, Panchkula and Ludhiana. According to the ED, manipulation of reserve prices for unsold land could have caused a potential loss of about ₹10,000 crore. Investigators are also examining alleged waivers of statutory dues and penal interest, auctions, compensation awards and planning decisions involving several developers and related entities.
ED Expands GMADA Probe, Alleges ₹10,000-Crore Land-Bank Irregularities in Punjab
The Enforcement Directorate has widened its money laundering probe into Tirupati Infraprojects to look into alleged irregularities in GMADA land dealings, waivers, auctions and planning decisions across Punjab.
The GMADA land-bank probe got further impetus after the Enforcement Directorate alleged that manipulation of reserve prices for unsold land may have caused a potential loss of about ₹10,000 crore.
The allegations came as the Enforcement Directorate concluded a three-day search and surveillance operation at the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority headquarters and other government offices on Thursday.
Searches and surveys were conducted at 26 locations in Delhi, Mohali, Chandigarh, Panchkula and Ludhiana in connection with an ongoing money laundering probe, the agency said.
The Enforcement Directorate said the surveys were converted into searches under Section 16 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 before seizures were made.
The operation is said to have seized electronic devices, digital records and other material. The evidence will be examined as part of a wider financial probe, the agency said.
The probe was initiated after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a first information report (FIR) in connection with an alleged Rs 238 crore bank fraud involving the promoters of Tirupati Infra Projects Private Limited and related transactions.
The Enforcement Directorate said that funds of Tirupati Infra Projects Private Limited were allegedly diverted for personal benefits, resulting in a wider probe into related entities and decisions.
GMADA decisions and land transactions come under scrutiny
The investigation has now broadened from its original focus on bank fraud to look at the way land is bought, compensation awards, auctions, changes to master plans, and benefits given to developers.
The main issue is the alleged waiver of statutory dues and penal interest granted to Remigate Infra Developers Private Limited, which is developing a food-court project in Sector 62, Mohali.
The Enforcement Directorate had estimated that the waiver could have resulted in a pecuniary benefit of ₹40 crore and ₹57 crore, but the matter is still under probe.
The agency also looked into the deals of Remigate Buildestates Private Limited, MB Infrabuild, Altus Space Builders, Muirwoods Ecocity and projects associated with Tirupati Infraprojects.
The Enforcement Directorate noted the names of the chief administrator and additional chief administrator of GMADA, Vikas Garg, Sandeep Rishi, Amarinder Malhi and Rohit Jindal among the Punjab principal secretaries.
It identified Rajeev Gupta, former chief administrator of GMADA, Kirti Sadhu Bas, director of Tila Consultancy Private Limited, and persons connected with Remigate entities and Tirupati Infraprojects.
The Enforcement Directorate, in its note, said that naming officials and individuals does not mean criminal liability or wrongdoing against them.
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Political allegations trigger response from AAP leadership
The Enforcement Directorate also said Aam Aadmi Party leaders Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia had unofficial meetings on the GMADA master plans, land acquisitions and auction decisions.
The agency said some files were allegedly taken out of PUDA Bhawan for discussion by Satyendar Jain and officer on special duty Amarender Jha in Chandigarh.
The agency also said a house allotted to Sunny Singh Ahluwalia, chairman of Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, was used for such meetings.
The Aam Aadmi Party dismissed the charges as false, baseless and politically motivated. The party said that Satyendar Jain and Manish Sisodia had no role in GMADA matters.
The AAP also questioned the legal basis of the action by the Enforcement Directorate, saying the original CBI case was not about the functioning of the GMADA but alleged bank fraud.
Land acquisition, compensation and hawala allegations examined
The Enforcement Directorate said Tila Consultancy Private Limited, related to Kirti Sadhu Bas and Archana Jha, was operating from the premises of GMADA and PUDA Bhawan.
The probe is on in the matter of compensation awards and payments under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
The agency said some land transfer deeds were executed without mandatory collector’s exemption. It said there were inconsistencies in letters of intent with co-sharers.
Devices were seized during searches, in which chats were found referring to alleged hawala payments involving relatives of Punjab government politicians, the Enforcement Directorate said.
The probe is also examining decisions taken after a June 2025 Punjab cabinet decision to replace chief minister Bhagwant Mann with chief secretary KAP Sinha as chairman.
One of the challenged orders is that of a fee waiver granted by GMADA in its 34th meeting chaired by KAP Sinha in February involving Remigate-linked entities.
Sprouts News will continue to monitor as official findings are released. Officials will continue to investigate, reviewing seized records, financial transactions and electronic communications.
