Punjab ED Summons IAS Anurag Verma on August 31 in ₹348-Crore CLU Probe; Kanwal Preet Brar Re-Summoned
Punjab-cadre IAS officer Anurag Verma has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning in a money-laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in Change of Land Use (CLU) approvals and real-estate projects in Punjab. The 1993-batch IAS officer has been asked to appear before the agency at its zonal office in Jalandhar on August 31, 2026, as investigators widen their examination of the administrative decisions surrounding the projects under scrutiny.
Verma is currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Financial Commissioner, Revenue, in Punjab and has also held the post of Chief Secretary of the state in the past. His summons assumes significance because he was heading the Housing and Urban Development Department during the period when several of the alleged irregularities being examined by the ED are stated to have taken place.
The latest development also comes shortly after the agency questioned another senior Punjab-cadre IAS officer, Kanwal Preet Brar. Brar appeared before the ED on August 18 and was questioned for nearly nine hours. The agency has now summoned him again for August 27, asking him to provide additional documents and information in connection with the investigation.
Anurag Verma to Appear Before ED on August 31
The ED is looking into the alleged misuse of CLU permissions, changes made to approved layouts and the process through which various real-estate projects received regulatory clearances. Investigators are examining whether established procedures were followed by the concerned departments and authorities, particularly in cases where agricultural land was converted for residential or commercial development.
A key part of the probe relates to allegations that approved layouts were modified without following the prescribed regulatory process and that CLUs were obtained using allegedly forged or fraudulent consent letters. The agency is also examining whether such permissions subsequently helped private developers obtain project licences and complete registrations under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, or RERA.
Verma has confirmed that he received the ED summons. He has indicated that he will appear before the agency and provide the records and relevant information available with him. The officer has also pointed out that the summons itself did not specify the particular case for which he was being called, but said he would present the facts and documents required by the investigators.
₹348 Crore in Alleged Proceeds of Crime Under Investigation
At the centre of the ED investigation is the Suntec City project in Mullanpur, New Chandigarh, along with a number of related real-estate developments. The agency has already filed a prosecution complaint running into nearly 3,500 pages before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mohali on July 20.
According to the ED, realtor Ajay Sehgal is alleged to have played a central role in generating and concealing proceeds of crime estimated at around ₹348 crore. The agency has calculated the alleged proceeds at approximately ₹212.58 crore from sales and another ₹135.41 crore in the form of unsold inventory connected with the projects under investigation.
The ED has alleged that Sehgal was associated with the Indian Cooperative Housing Building Society (ICHBS) Ltd and used forged consent letters to secure CLUs from the Department of Town and Country Planning. The permissions reportedly involved around 108.58 acres of agricultural land that was proposed to be developed for residential and commercial purposes.
Investigators are examining how these CLUs were processed and whether the documents submitted in support of the applications were properly verified. According to the agency, the CLUs subsequently became the basis for securing a licence from the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) and registering the project under RERA.
Suntec City Project Remains a Major Focus
The case has its origins in an FIR registered at Mullanpur police station in November 2022 against Sehgal and other office-bearers of ICHBS, including Suresh Kumar Bajaj, Aashish Kamra and Rajesh Girdhar. The accused were booked over allegations that landowners and customers were cheated through fraudulent CLUs and related documentation.
Sehgal, whom the ED has described as an important promoter associated with the Suntec City project, was arrested by the agency on May 22. The investigation has since expanded to cover the administrative and regulatory processes surrounding the project, including the role of officials and authorities responsible for examining applications and granting approvals.
The agency is particularly interested in understanding how the alleged consent letters were scrutinised and whether complaints about their authenticity were acted upon in time. It is also examining alleged violations of RERA requirements and questions surrounding modifications made to the approved project layout.
Muirwoods Ecocity Project Also Part of Probe
The ED’s investigation is not limited to Suntec City. The Muirwoods Ecocity mega-project has also come under the agency’s scanner in connection with allegations surrounding the transfer and development of group housing sites.
According to the allegations being examined, certain group housing sites were transferred to Dhir Constructions, a company owned by Gaurav Dhir, after an earlier proposal to transfer the sites to GMADA was rejected. Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding these decisions and whether the applicable provisions of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act were properly followed.
The agency is also examining the use of Section 85 of the law in the Suntec City matter. Questions have reportedly been raised over whether this provision was applied despite allegations of material misrepresentation that could potentially have resulted in action under Section 90. The policy involved was later reversed in 2022, when Aman Arora, who is currently the Punjab unit president of the Aam Aadmi Party, was serving as Housing and Urban Development Minister.
Alleged RERA Violations and Layout Irregularities
The ED has listed several alleged regulatory violations in its prosecution complaint concerning Suntec City. Among other allegations, the agency has claimed that Sehgal failed to transfer land reserved for economically weaker sections, or EWS, to the GMADA estate officer as required under the project’s licence conditions.
The agency has also alleged that some residential units were sold before the project obtained RERA registration. In another allegation, possession was reportedly handed over to certain landowners without securing the necessary completion certificate from GMADA. The ED has further raised questions over the approval of the building plan and CLU despite the alleged absence of a mandatory area earmarked for solid-waste management.
These allegations are now part of the broader money-laundering investigation, with the agency seeking to establish whether proceeds generated through the alleged regulatory violations ultimately constituted proceeds of crime under the PMLA.
Joint Development Agreement and Other Real-Estate Projects
Another important component of the investigation concerns a joint development agreement between ICHBS Ltd and VRS Township Pvt Ltd, which was later renamed ABS Townships Pvt Ltd. The ED has alleged that development and sale rights were transferred to ABS Township, whose directors included Sehgal’s brothers, Sanjay Sehgal and Anil Sehgal.
The agency has further alleged that ABS Township subsequently registered projects such as La Canela Phase 1 and District 7 with RERA and earned proceeds through the sale of residential units in New Chandigarh. Investigators are also examining allegations that units in La Canela Phase 2 were sold before the required RERA approval was obtained.
According to the ED, GMADA started receiving complaints about the alleged use of forged consent letters from 2020 onwards. The agency has alleged that despite these complaints, effective action was not taken against the accused at the relevant stage, allowing sales and other activities connected with the projects to continue.
The investigation has also brought another CLU approval under scrutiny. The agency has alleged that ABS Township later obtained CLU for an additional 14.59 acres, involving a change to the originally approved layout without complying with the applicable RERA requirements.
ED Searches Recover Cash and Other Evidence
The agency had conducted searches at several premises and lockers linked to the accused in Mohali, Chandigarh and other locations during May and June. During these operations, the ED said it recovered documents and digital devices that it considered relevant to the investigation, along with unaccounted cash amounting to ₹30.98 lakh.
The agency has also claimed that another ₹21 lakh was recovered after allegedly being thrown from the ninth floor of Western Towers in Kharar by individuals linked to the accused. Investigators are examining the documents, electronic material and financial records seized during the searches as they trace the alleged movement and concealment of funds.
The ED has alleged that Sehgal knowingly generated, acquired, possessed, concealed and used proceeds of crime arising from the alleged offences involving forged consent letters, CLU permissions, subsequent project approvals and real-estate registrations.
Kanwal Preet Brar Summoned Again
The summons issued to Anurag Verma follows the ED’s questioning of IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar earlier this month. Brar spent nearly nine hours with the agency on August 18, and investigators have now asked him to return on August 27 with additional records sought during the first round of questioning.
With two senior IAS officers now being called in connection with the investigation, the focus is increasingly turning towards the administrative chain involved in housing and urban development decisions during the period under examination. The agency is expected to question officials about the processing of CLU applications, verification of consent documents, layout changes, project licences and other approvals.
Verma’s scheduled appearance on August 31 will therefore be closely watched as the ED continues to investigate the alleged ₹348-crore proceeds of crime linked to Suntec City and other related real-estate projects. At this stage, the summons and questioning of government officials form part of an ongoing investigation, and any allegations made by the agency remain subject to the legal process and determination by the competent courts.
