ED seizes property worth Rs 15.78 crore in J&K's Patnitop hill station

Jammu, June 28 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate has attached immovable property worth Rs 15.78 crore in Jammu and Kashmir’s Patnitop hill station linked to a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002, an official said on Saturday.

“Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Jammu Sub Zonal Office has provisionally attached several immovable properties worth Rs 15.78 crore (approx.) on June 27, 2025, in the case of Patni Top Development Authority (PDA) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The provisionally attached properties comprise land, building and income generated from the running of Hotel Pine Heritage, Hotel Dream Land and Hotel Shahi Santoor, all located in Patnitop,” the ED said in a statement issued on Saturday.

“ED initiated investigations on the basis of FIR registered by CBI, ACB, Jammu against various owners/Directors of the Hotels/Guest House/Resorts/Cottages /Residences in the Patni Top area and officials of PDA, that such hotels/guest houses/ resorts indulged in commercial use of residential buildings, excess construction beyond approved limits, operating businesses in prohibited areas (dense forests, agricultural areas, residential areas) etc, wherein lapses of compliances were overlooked by PDA officials,” the federal agency stated.

ED investigations revealed that Hotel Pine Heritage, Hotel Dream Land and Hotel Shahi Santoor were built beyond the area permitted by the PDA. The hotels had undertaken illegal construction beyond approved limits, while generating revenue from utilising the same.

Earlier, in the same case, ED had provisionally attached properties comprising land and building of Hotel Trinetar Resorts, Patnitop and Hotel Green Orchid in January this year.

“ED has been acting proactively against cases coming under the PMLA, as, in most of such cases, the money thus illegally laundered is used for unlawful and often anti-national interests,” the statement said.

“Cases of money laundering initially brought to light by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) are also finally dealt with by the ED, as powers to act under the provisions of PMLA are vested in the ED,” it added.

--IANS

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