₹36cr assets linked to Chhokar, son attached

Chandigarh: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Tuesday said the adjudicating authority had confirmed attachment of properties worth Rs 36.52 crore linked to former Congress MLA from Samalkha seat Dharam Singh Chhokar and his son, Vikas Chhokar.ED said the assets had been attached as the duo continue to elude arrest in a money-laundering case filed against Chhokar’s other son, Sikander Singh, in May this year. In another development, a Gurugram court has also taken cognisance of a fresh case made out against Sikandar last week. Both Chhokar and Vikas have not joined the probe. Even efforts by the agency and local police to apprehend them have failed.ED, while referring to the investigation, claimed to have detected siphoning of funds worth crores by companies linked to Chhokar through fake bills or diversion of funds for personal use. ED investigation revealed that M/s Mahira Infatech Pvt Ltd siphoned homebuyers’ money by booking fake construction expenditure in group entities and making unrelated personal expenses, such as buying jewellery and wedding expenses.Cash equivalent to fake purchases was received back from entities providing fake bills/invoices by the directors/promoters of Mahira Group, which was used for personal gains. Directors also diverted homebuyers’ money to other group entities as loans, outstanding for years, for personal gains.In May, ED arrested Sikandar in a PMLA case. On June 26, ED filed a prosecution complaint (chargesheet) in the special court for PMLA cases in Gurgaon against Sikandar, his company Mahira Infratech, D S Home Construction Pvt Ltd, and others under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The PMLA court took cognisance of the chargesheet on Dec 5 to resume the trial of Sikandar. Mahira Infatech, Czar Buildwell Pvt Ltd, and Mahira Buildtech Pvt Ltd collected Rs 616.41 crore from thousands of homebuyers under affordable housing scheme, on the promise of providing houses at sectors 68, 103, and 104 in Gurgaon, but failed to deliver them and missed deadlines, diverting the money collected from the homebuyers for personal use.

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