The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 10.66 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the Patnitop Hotels land encroachment case, an official said on Monday.
The attached properties include the land and buildings of Hotel Holiday Inn, Hotel Broadway, Hotel Hollywood and Hotel Mountview, located in Patnitop hill resort in Udhampur district, an ED spokesperson said in a statement. Earlier, the ED had issued two provisional attachment orders in 2025, attaching properties worth approximately Rs 30.72 crore in the same case. With the latest attachment of Rs 10.66 crore, the cumulative value of properties provisionally attached in the case has reached approximately Rs 41.38 crore, he said.
The ED initiated its investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Jammu, against various owners and directors of hotels, guest houses, resorts, cottages and residential properties in the Patnitop area, as well as officials of the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA).
The allegations relate to the commercial use of residential buildings, construction beyond approved limits and operation of commercial establishments in prohibited areas, including dense forest, agricultural and residential zones, the spokesperson said, adding the investigation also revealed alleged lapses on the part of PDA officials in ensuring compliance with the prescribed rules and regulations.