ED books two ex-SDMs in UP for money laundering

Lucknow, Nov 24 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate has registered a case of money laundering against two former Sub-Divisional Magistrates R.D. Ram and Ashok Kumar Kannaujiya.

The two officers are accused of giving three times more compensation than the sanctioned amount during land acquisition for the widening of National Highway-56 in the state in 2014, which caused a loss of Rs 384 crore to the state exchequer.

The ED has registered the case based on the FIR lodged against the two officers in Musafirkhana police station of Amethi district on October 11.

The officers have been booked under the charges of dishonesty and breach of trust.

A senior officer in Amethi district administration said that after getting the approval of the Central government, the process of widening of NH-56 in Amethi started in 2014.

Before the construction, on the request of NHAI, the revenue department conducted a survey of road widening and bypass outside the city to provide relief to the people in the town at Jagdishpur and Musafirkhana.

“After irregularities in compensation and distribution came to light, then Amethi district magistrate got the entire matter investigated and a scam of Rs 384 crore came to light,” he said.

The Amethi district administration had sent the report prepared by the investigation team to the government.

The process of compensation distribution for two by-passes in Musafirkhana tehsil of Amethi started during the tenure of R.D. Ram.

Ram was SDM of Musafirkhana for seven months from February 23, 2015 to September 2015.

After this, Kannaujiya was posted in his place on September 19, 2015 and he remained SDM till March 2017.

A notice was issued after the matter came to light in 2020.

The FIR in October was registered on the complaint of Kanungo Surendra Kumar Srivastava posted at Registrar Office in Musafirkhana.