Gurgaon land purchase 'irregularities': CBI raids 24 places, seizes documents

New Delhi [India], Sept. 3 (ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday conducted searches at 24 places, including Rohtak, Gurgaon, Delhi, Chandigarh and Panchkula, on the residential and office premises of various persons in an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in the purchase of land from farmers and land owners in Haryana's Gurgaon district and seized "incriminating" documents and materials, which they are scrutinising, said CBI sources today. Following the directions of the Central Government, on the request of the Haryana Government, the investigating agency had on September 15 last registered a case against unidentified public servants of the Haryana Government and unidentified private persons, and took over the investigation of an FIR, No.510 dated August 12, 2015, registered at the Manesar Police Station in Gurgaon district under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. It was alleged that the private builders in connivance with certain public servants of the Haryana Government, including important functionaries and others had purchased around 400 acres from farmers and land owners in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula village in Gurgaon district at throwaway prices allegedly under the threat and false apprehension of acquisition by the government between August 2004-07, said CBI sources. In this process, initially, the Government of Haryana had issued notifications under various sections of the Land Acquisition Act for acquisition of land measuring about 912 acres for setting up an Industrial Model Township, said sources, adding that as a result, a large number of land owners, in haste, had allegedly sold their land at throwaway prices. It was further alleged that about 400 acres had been grabbed from land owners by private builders under the threat of acquisition at meagre rates. An order was also allegedly passed by the Competent Authority in Government on August 24, 2007 for releasing the 400 acres from the acquisition process in violation of the government policy and the licences/CLU were issued to the private builders. An alleged loss of approximately Rs.1,500 crores was caused to land owners of Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula, said sources. Further investigation is continuing. As per reports the CBI conducted raids at the residences and offices of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his close aides in Rohtak, Gurugram, Panchkula, Chandigarh and Delhi in connection with the Manesar land deal case. The close aides of Hooda include two former IPS officers and one serving IPS officer besides others. The former Haryana chief minister is facing a court case over land deals in Manesar. (ANI)