ED raids GMADA office, Punjab IAS officer Vikas Garg's premises in money laundering probe

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday conducted searches at the office of Punjab's Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) and the premises of IAS officer and Principal Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, Vikas Garg, as part of a money laundering investigation, officials said.

The searches are being carried out at multiple locations, including Mohali (SAS Nagar), Chandigarh and Ludhiana in Punjab, as well as Delhi, they said.

According to officials, the investigation is linked to alleged corruption in GMADA, including matters related to auctions, waivers of external development charges and the interest charges payable by builders and developers.

The ED case was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on several FIRs filed by the Punjab Police. The central agency had earlier conducted searches and questioned some individuals in connection with cases linked to GMADA.  (with inputs from PTI)