ED action on Gurugram 'Ansal Hub-83' - What is the project?

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said that it has provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 82 crore in connection with an alleged large-scale real estate fraud linked to the commercial project “Ansal Hub-83” in Sector 83, Gurugram.The ED’s Gurugram zonal office carried out the attachment under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. According to the agency, the attached assets include the project land measuring 19 Kanal 15 Marla (approximately 2.47 acres) along with the construction raised so far, in order to prevent any transfer, sale or disposal that could frustrate potential confiscation proceedings.The project comprises 147 commercial shops, 137 office spaces and two restaurant units. The ED said that its investigation was initiated based on an FIR registered by the Haryana Police in June 2023 under Sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code against the promoters and senior officials of Ansal Housing Limited (formerly known as Ansal Housing and Construction Ltd).The company’s Whole-Time Director, Kushagra Ansal, along with associated entities Samyak Projects Private Limited and Aakansha Infrastructure Private Limited, were booked based on a complaint filed by the HUB-83 Allottee Welfare Association. The association represents more than 1,000 investors who allegedly invested in the project on the basis of “false assurances and misleading representations,” the ED said.According to the agency, its investigation revealed that the project was launched and commercial units were sold to investors even before obtaining valid statutory approvals, news agency ANI reported. The ED further stated that although the project licence expired in December 2015, the developers allegedly continued to collect money from investors and sell units till September 2023 without renewing the licence.Several aggrieved investors also approached the Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HRERA), filing complaints over delay in possession, non-completion of the project, alleged illegal collection of funds and violation of statutory obligations by the developer.“Investors were promised timely possession and world-class facilities; however, even after nearly 15 years, no occupation certificate has been issued, and possession has not been handed over,” the ED said in a statement.The agency alleged that funds collected from investors were not utilised for completion of the project but were diverted for other purposes and personal gain. According to the ED, more than Rs 82 crore was collected from allottees between 2011 and 2023. The investigation under the PMLA is ongoing.