New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate Thursday said it has attached fresh assets worth Rs 44 crore of "absconding" former Haryana Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhoker and his businessmen sons as part of a money laundering investigation linked to a "fraud" with 1,500 homebuyers in Gurugram.

A provisional order was issued on Wednesday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach about 3 acres of agricultural land, 2,487 sq m of commercial plots and 8 residential flats located in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad and Panipat, the federal agency said in a statement.

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Fixed and bank deposits worth Rs 96 lakh have also been attached as part of the same order. These assets, worth a total Rs 44.55 crore, relate to Chhoker, his sons Vikas Chhoker (also absconding) and Sikandar Chhoker who is out on bail, and their company Sai Aaina Farms Pvt. Ltd. among others, it said.

Assets worth over Rs 36 crore were attached by the agency in this case last year.

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Dharam Singh Chhoker is a former MLA from the Samalkha assembly seat in Panipat district. He, however, lost the assembly polls last year from the same seat.

The Chhokers face charges of "cheating" more than 1,500 homebuyers and siphoning over Rs 500 crore funds from them.

The ED said after multiple non-bailable warrants, a special PMLA court in Gurugram issued a proclamation against Dharam Singh Chhoker and Vikas Chhoker and directed them to appear before the court on May 19.

The money laundering case stems from a Gurugram Police FIR filed against Sai Aaina Farms and associated companies.

The allegations against the accused include submission of "forged" documents, including fake bank guarantees, to obtain licenses for external and internal development works.

"This fraudulent activity was carried out in connection with promised affordable housing projects at Sector 68, 103 and 104 in Gurugram and the company collected around Rs 616 crore from 3,700 home buyers."

"However, the company failed to deliver the houses within the promised timelines and misappropriated the funds," the ED said.

Probe found, it said, that funds collected from homebuyers were "diverted" for personal gains by the company's directors and promoters even as some of the money was "transferred" to other group entities as loans which remained "outstanding" for years.

A charge sheet was filed by the ED in April, 2024 against Sikandar Singh Chhoker, companies linked to him like Mahira Infratech Pvt. Ltd. and D S Home Construction Pvt. Ltd. and some others.

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