Manesar land deal: CBI raids residences, offices of Hooda and his aides

New Delhi [India], Sept. 3 (ANI): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday 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. It is reported that the investigating agency conducted raids at 20 locations. 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. As per reports, the CBI had registered a case against the builders and other government officials during the regime of the Congress-led government in Haryana for their alleged role in the purchase of 400 acres of land from the farmers in Gurugram for just Rs. 100 crore when the actual worth of the land (according to market rate at that time) was Rs. 1600 crore. The farmers sold their lands in desperation because they were under threat of land acquisition between August 2004 and August 2007. The then Haryana Government had announced to set up an Industrial Model Township on 912 acres of land in the areas, which covered Manesar, Lakhnoula and Naurangpur villages. But the land was released from acquisition later. (ANI)