The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached 45 immovable properties worth ₹999.6 crore in Delhi as part of its money laundering investigation into the alleged ₹48,000 crore PACL collective investment scam. According to the agency, the properties were acquired using funds allegedly diverted from investors through PACL-linked entities. The probe originates from a CBI case alleging widespread financial fraud involving land-based investment schemes. The attached assets will remain under provisional attachment pending further legal proceedings.
ED Attaches ₹1,000 Crore Assets in PACL Scam Probe, 45 Delhi Properties Linked to Alleged ₹48,000 Crore Fraud
The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached 45 immovable properties worth ₹999.6 crore in Delhi in its ongoing money laundering probe into the alleged ₹48,000 crore PACL collective investment scam.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached 45 immovable properties worth Rs 999.6 crore in the case of the alleged Rs 48,000 crore PACL collective investment scam. The latest action against properties allegedly bought with money siphoned off from investors is another big development in one of India’s biggest financial fraud probes.
The attached properties are situated in Rani Khera, Ghewra and Hira Kudna of Delhi, the ED said. The assets are owned by Worldwide Real Estate Pvt Ltd, Worldwide Housing Project Pvt Ltd and Worldwide Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. These properties, investigators have alleged, were purchased with investor funds said to have been siphoned from PACL after being collected through its investment schemes.
The money laundering case is based on a First Information Report (FIR) lodged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under sections 120-B and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Later, CBI filed a chargesheet and supplementary chargesheet against 33 accused, alleging their involvement in running an illegal collective investment scheme attracting investors from across the country.
PACL investigation traces alleged diversion of investor funds
The ED said PACL and its associated entities are alleged to have collected over ₹48,000 crore from lakhs of investors across the country. The agency said investors were promised ownership of agricultural land through lump sum cash payments and investment schemes based on instalments to attract small and medium investors.
The investigation also alleges investors were asked to sign misleading agreements, powers of attorney and other documents. In most cases, the promised agricultural land was not transferred to the investors, leaving them with neither the land nor refunds of their investments upon termination of the schemes, the agency said.
The ED has attached 45 properties recently as proceeds of crime, saying they were bought by money diverted from PACL through Worldwide Real Estate Pvt Ltd, Worldwide Housing Project Pvt Ltd and Worldwide Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. The provisional attachment is meant to prevent the disposal or transfer of assets while the investigation is ongoing.
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Timeline of the ED's money laundering case
The Enforcement Directorate registered its Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in 2016, formally launching the money laundering investigation based on the predicate offence investigated by the CBI. The agency filed its first prosecution complaint in 2018, opening the door to more legal actions against people and entities allegedly involved in the case.
The agency has continued to expand its investigation since then through multiple legal filings. The nature and scope of the investigation kept changing, and between 2022 and 2026, the ED filed six more prosecution complaints before the appropriate court against different accused individuals and corporate entities.
Throughout the investigation, officials said, financial transactions, corporate structures and property acquisitions have been scrutinized. The agency is still looking into whether the investor’s money was routed through a number of companies before being invested in real estate assets across different locations.
Total attachments cross ₹29,625 crore as investigation continues
In the PACL case, the ED said it has attached movable and immovable assets worth about ₹29,625.63 crore with the latest provisional attachment. The assets include overseas and domestic properties, and the investigation is one of the largest financial enforcement actions in the country.
The agency said further investigation is ongoing to unearth more proceeds of crime, trace financial transactions and establish investor funds’ movement. Further legal proceedings will depend on the outcome of ongoing investigations and judicial processes, according to official agency disclosures to Sprouts News. The PACL case is one of India’s biggest alleged collective investment fraud probes. The authorities are continuing with their efforts to recover assets while the legal case against the accused continues.
