Chandigarh/Jalandhar, March 25: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Jalandhar, has tightened the noose around revenue officials and private property dealers involved in a major shamlat land scam in village Seonk.
In a significant action, the ED provisionally attached immovable properties worth ₹12.31 crore on March 24, 2025, belonging to Varinder Pal Singh (Ex-Naib Tehsildar), Iqbal Singh (then Patwari), and private players who allegedly connived to grab community land and sell it off illegally.
According to ED officials, the scam revolves around the illegal allotment of excess shares of 'shamlat land' — common village land meant for the welfare of the entire community — to ineligible individuals.
The modus operandi was simple yet shocking. The revenue officials, in connivance with local property dealers, manipulated records to allot larger land shares to selected individuals.
Once the paperwork was ‘legalised’ on file, the land was sold off in the open market at hefty rates, causing massive losses to the village panchayat and the government.
The ED probe found that Ex-Naib Tehsildar Varinder Pal Singh and Patwari Iqbal Singh played a central role in executing this scam.
"They misused their official positions to fabricate revenue records, which paved the way for the illegal sale of shamlat land to private parties. Private property dealers were roped in to further sell these plots to unsuspecting buyers," the agency revealed.
Sources said that several of these buyers were later found ineligible to own shamlat land, yet the deals had already been executed and the land parcels changed hands multiple times.
"It's a classic case of how revenue officials and land mafia collude to grab community land for personal profits. The scale of the scam is huge, and further probe is underway to unearth more such illegal deals," a senior ED officer confirmed.
ED has invoked provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and attached prime properties that were allegedly purchased using the proceeds of this shamlat land scam.
These include residential houses, commercial plots, and agricultural lands located in and around the area.
Meanwhile, locals of Seonk village said that this scam has exposed the deep-rooted nexus between land officials and property dealers. "Shamlat land is our lifeline.
It belongs to the entire village, but these officers looted it like their personal property. Action must be taken against all involved," said a village elder.
The ED has made it clear that this is just the beginning and more names could surface as the investigation deepens. The action has sent shockwaves among revenue officials and the property lobby, often accused of manipulating land records across Punjab.
The case is being closely monitored, as the ED is likely to file a prosecution complaint soon. Further attachments and arrests could follow.
