Chandigarh: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday searched the Chandigarh residence of senior Punjab IAS officer and former Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) Chief Administrator Rajiv Gupta as part of a money-laundering investigation into alleged financial irregularities linked to the development authority.
ED teams reached Gupta’s residence in Sector 19 early in the morning and began searches, according to local reports. The action came a day after the central agency conducted searches at GMADA headquarters in Mohali and several other locations across Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana and Delhi.
The investigation is examining alleged irregularities in GMADA-related transactions, including property auctions, waivers of external development charges and interest dues payable by builders and developers, as well as alleged irregularities involving Change of Land Use (CLU) permissions.
Former GMADA Chief Administrator’s Residence Searched
Rajiv Gupta, a senior Punjab IAS officer who previously served as Chief Administrator of GMADA, is among the government officials whose premises have come under the ED’s investigation.
The agency’s search at his Sector 19 residence follows its action at GMADA headquarters on September 22. The residence search was reported separately on Wednesday morning, with ED personnel conducting a search at the premises.
The searches do not by themselves establish wrongdoing by the individuals whose premises are being searched. The investigation is ongoing, and the allegations remain subject to the agency’s findings and any subsequent legal proceedings.
GMADA Headquarters Also Raided
On Tuesday, ED teams, assisted by CRPF personnel, searched the GMADA headquarters in Mohali.
The agency sealed at least three floors of the building, including the Chief Engineer’s chamber, and took custody of mobile phones and office computers used by senior officials, according to The Tribune.
Senior GMADA officials, including Housing Secretary Vikas Garg, Chief Administrator Sandeep Rishi, Land Acquisition Collector Rohit Jindal, Estate Officer Aman Gupta, Additional Chief Administrators Amarinder Singh Malhi and Rakesh Popli, and Chief Engineer Ajay Garg, were questioned during the operation, the newspaper reported.
The ED’s searches at GMADA were continuing into Wednesday, with investigators examining records and digital material, according to reports.
Investigation Covers Multiple Locations
The ED has carried out searches and surveys at multiple locations in connection with the case.
The locations include Mohali, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Panchkula in the region, besides premises in Delhi. Different reports have put the number of premises covered at 26 or at GMADA and 27 other locations.
The investigation is linked to Tirupati Infraprojects Pvt Ltd and associated companies and persons, according to officials cited in reports. Other entities mentioned in connection with the probe include Remigate Buildestates (India) Pvt Ltd, MB Infrabuild Pvt Ltd, Mera Baba Reality Associates Pvt Ltd and Mera Baba Infrastructure Pvt Ltd.
Alleged ₹100-Crore Financial Irregularities
At the centre of the investigation are allegations that certain private developers received financial benefits in transactions involving GMADA properties and dues.
According to reports, the agency is examining alleged irregularities in the auction of GMADA properties, waivers of external development charges, interest and other outstanding dues, and the grant of CLU permissions. The suspected financial impact has been reported at more than ₹100 crore.
One of the matters under scrutiny reportedly concerns Remigate Buildestates and a GMADA site in Mohali. The Tribune reported that the agency was examining an alleged waiver of more than ₹100 crore in dues relating to the developer, including a decision taken at a GMADA meeting in 2025.
Remigate and Other Records Under Scanner
The ED has also seized records relating to the so-called Remigate case and other matters involving alleged wrongful grant of CLU permissions to private builders.
The New Indian Express reported that at least three floors of the GMADA building were sealed and that mobile phones of senior officials were taken into custody during the search.
Investigators are examining official records, communications and digital material to establish the sequence of decisions and financial transactions associated with the properties and companies under investigation.
Land Acquisition and CLU Decisions Also Being Examined
The scope of the investigation has reportedly widened beyond individual auction transactions.
Media reported on Wednesday that ED officials were examining decisions involving land acquisition and changes in land use from agricultural to residential, commercial or mixed use in the master plans of development authorities. The agency is also examining records concerning large-scale land acquisition in Mohali and New Chandigarh.
The role of Tila Consultants and Contractors Pvt Ltd, described as a land aggregator for the authority, is also reportedly under scrutiny in connection with alleged irregularities in land acquisition and CLU approvals.
Investigation Into Officials and Private Developers
The ED’s action brings both government records and private entities within the scope of the money-laundering investigation.
The agency is examining dealings between GMADA and private developers, including the procedures followed for property auctions, approvals, outstanding dues and subsequent financial concessions.
The searches and questioning are part of the investigative process. Any criminal liability or specific role of an individual would have to be established through the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings.
The ED action at Rajiv Gupta’s residence on Wednesday marks the latest development in the widening probe into alleged irregularities involving GMADA and private real-estate interests.
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