Enforcement Directorate on Monday seized the property of suspended IAS officer Pradeep Sharma under the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMlA). It includes a piece of land in Dehgam village of Gandhinagar district and a bungalow in the state capital, said a senior ED official here.
"The land in Dehgam is worth Rs65 to Rs70 lakh while the bungalow itself is worth Rs1 crore. We attached the land and 35 per cent of the bungalow to arrive at Rs1 crore figure," he said. In March 2012, ED had registered a case against Sharma, a Gujarat-cadre officer, for allegedly selling Government land to Kutch-based Welspun Group when he was the collector of Kutch in 2003-04 at a cheaper rate, causing a loss of Rs1 crore to Gujarat Government.
ED also found that Sharma's wife was made director of a packaging firm, which was indirectly connected with Welspun Group. "To recover the loss, we have seized his property worth Rs1 crore," said the official.
