Itanagar/New Delhi, March 28: A flagship infrastructure project in Arunachal Pradesh has come under a dark cloud, with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) exposing what it calls a “well-organised conspiracy” in the Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) land compensation scam.
In a strongly worded statement, the ED said it has provisionally attached properties worth ₹2.37 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
“The attached properties represent proceeds of crime derived from fraudulent diversion of government compensation funds in the Trans-Arunachal Highway project,” the ED said in its press release.
₹44.98 Crore Excess Payments Exposed
The agency revealed that a Fact-Finding Committee unearthed excess compensation payments amounting to ₹44.98 crore in the Potin–Bopi stretch—pointing to large-scale manipulation in assessment and disbursement.
“Investigation has revealed large-scale irregularities in assessment and disbursement of land acquisition compensation, resulting in substantial wrongful loss to the government exchequer,” the ED stated.
Officials, Engineers Named in Conspiracy
The ED has named several officials and private individuals, alleging collusion at multiple levels—from approving inflated claims to fabricating structural assessments.
“Several public servants and private persons were involved in a well-organised conspiracy to facilitate fraudulent disbursements and diversion of funds,” the agency said.
Among those under the scanner are senior administrative officials, engineers, and alleged beneficiaries who “received substantial amounts without lawful entitlement.”
Cash Seizures and Asset Trail
The probe has already led to major recoveries.
“Search operations conducted earlier resulted in seizure of cash, freezing of bank balances and recovery of incriminating documents and digital evidence,” the ED said.
According to the agency: ₹2.40 crore cash was seized from one accused, ₹22 lakh recovered from another, ₹1.19 crore in bank balances frozen, ₹3.95 crore in deposits identified earlier.
With the latest attachment, the total proceeds of crime secured so far stand at ₹10.13 crore.
Project Turned Pipeline for Loot
The ED made it clear that funds meant for genuine landowners were siphoned off through manipulation and routing.
“Beneficiaries knowingly participated in routing, withdrawal and utilisation of such funds, aiding concealment and projection of proceeds of crime,” the agency noted.
Case in Court, Probe On
The ED has already filed a prosecution complaint before the Special PMLA Court in Yupia, which has taken cognisance. Further investigation is ongoing.
“Further investigation is under progress to identify additional proceeds of crime and involvement of other accused persons,” the ED said.
What was envisioned as a road to development now risks being remembered as a highway to corruption—raising serious questions about governance and accountability in one of India’s most critical frontier infrastructure projects.
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