The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in Jalandhar has detained Ajay Sehgal, the Secretary of the Indian Cooperative House Building Society, for his involvement in a money laundering scheme related to the submission of forged consent letters to fraudulently obtain Change of Land Use (CLU) permissions for the Suntec City real estate project in Punjab. The arrest, made following an investigation based on an FIR by the Punjab Police, stemmed from complaints by farmers alleging the forgery of their consent signatures to secure CLU approvals.
The ED’s probe revealed that Ajay Sehgal, through the housing society, fabricated consent letters for 30.5 acres of land owned by 15 individuals, which were then used to acquire CLU clearance for the Suntec City development. These falsified documents contained forged signatures and thumb impressions of landowners, enabling the project to obtain regulatory nods.
Earlier search operations at locations linked to the Indian Cooperative House Building Society and ABS Township Private Limited uncovered a cash amount of Rs 21 lakh allegedly tossed from a balcony by a liaison businessman, Nitin Gohel. Additionally, it was found that Ajay Sehgal was also involved in other projects like La Canela residential complex and District 7 commercial complex, both built on the back of CLU permissions obtained through deceptive consent documents.
The investigation disclosed that units in these projects were sold without proper registration and Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) approval, resulting in over Rs 200 crore in unauthorized transactions. Furthermore, the accused failed to transfer plots meant for Economically Weaker Sections to the GMADA Estate Officer and faced only partial CLU revocation instead of stricter action under the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act.
Authorities are scrutinizing the involvement of senior officials from the Department of Town and Country Planning and Greater Mohali Area Development Authority in the case. The ED hinted at more potential arrests and the possible implication of higher-level officials who may have abetted the accused for illicit gains. The investigation uncovered systemic irregularities in approvals granted by GMADA and the Department of Town and Country Planning, alleging corruption that favored developers over farmers and landowners in Punjab.
