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The Hindu
The Hindu
National
The Hindu Bureau

Enforcement Directorate conducts searches in Sai Aaina Farms case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has searched 11 locations in Delhi and Haryana, linked to Sai Aaina Farms and other group companies of the Mahira Group, owned and controlled allegedly by MLA Dharam Singh Chhoker from Samalkha constituency, the agency said on Monday.

Sai Aaina Farms is presently known as Mahira Infratech Private Limited. The ED probe is based on multiple cases registered by the Gurugram police against the company for alleged cheating and forgery.

As alleged, Sai Aaina Farms had collected about ₹360 crore from 1,497 home buyers under the affordable housing scheme, on the promise of providing houses in Sector 68 in Gurugram. However, it failed to deliver the houses and missed multiple deadlines. The home buyers have been holding protests since the last one year against the Mahira Group, seeking delivery of the promised houses at the earliest.  

The ED alleged that the company siphoned off the funds by booking fake construction expenditure in group entities. “Cash equivalent to the fake purchases was received back from the entities providing fake bills or invoices by the directors/promoters of Mahira Group, which was used for personal gains,” it alleged.

Several personal family expenditures were also allegedly booked as construction/ business expenditure in group entities. The directors/ promoters also diverted home buyers’ money to other group entities as loans, which have been outstanding for years, for personal gains. They allegedly siphoned off about ₹107.5 crore from Sai Aaina Farms. “Investigations with respect to financial transactions of other four affordable housing projects are in progress,” the ED said.

The directors/promoters of the Mahira Group — Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhoker, Sikander Singh and Vikas Chhoker — and other key employees remained absent during the ED’s search, and till date have not joined the probe, the agency said.

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