ED arrests key accused in ₹9.83-crore Bharatmala compensation scam in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested a key accused in the alleged ₹9.83-crore Bharatmala land acquisition compensation scam, tightening its probe into what investigators describe as a carefully orchestrated fraud involving manipulation of land records and compensation claims along a proposed national highway corridor.

Jai Prakash Gandhi, a resident of Abhanpur in Raipur district, was arrested by the ED's Raipur zonal office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the alleged irregularities in compensation disbursed for land acquired for the Raipur-Visakhapatnam economic corridor under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.

The money laundering investigation stems from an FIR registered by the Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which alleged large-scale fraud in the acquisition process and compensation payments made for highway construction.

According to the ED, Gandhi, allegedly acting in collusion with family members and certain public servants, purchased land falling within the notified alignment of the proposed highway and subsequently fragmented it into multiple plots measuring less than 500 square metres each.

Investigators suspect the land was deliberately subdivided to exploit compensation norms and secure substantially higher payouts from the NHAI than would have been possible under normal acquisition procedures.

The agency alleges that the manipulation enabled the accused to claim compensation running into crores of rupees, causing significant loss to the exchequer.

ED officials said the probe is examining the alleged role of govt officials, intermediaries and beneficiaries involved in the compensation process. Investigators are also tracing the money trail to determine how the proceeds of the alleged fraud were generated, layered and utilised.

The Bharatmala compensation scam has emerged as one of the most significant land acquisition fraud cases investigated in Chhattisgarh in recent years, with multiple agencies probing alleged irregularities linked to land transactions carried out shortly before acquisition notifications.