Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) conducted search operations on July 25, 2023, at 11 locations in Samalkha, Gurugram, and Delhi belonging to M/s Sai Aaina Farms Pvt. Ltd. [now Mahira Infratech Pvt. Ltd.] and other Mahira Group owned and controlled by Dharam Singh Chhoker [MLA, Samalkha Constituency, Haryana] and family.
The ED launched a probe based on FIRs filed by Gurugram Police against M/s Sai Aaina Farms Pvt. Ltd. forgery and cheating. M/s Sai Aaina Farms Pvt. Ltd. has collected around Rs. 360 Crore from 1497 home buyers under the affordable housing plan, with the promise of providing residences in Gurugram’s Sector 68. However, the aforementioned firm failed to deliver the residences and missed many dates. For one year, property purchasers have held protests/dharnas against the Mahira Group, demanding that the promised properties be delivered as soon as possible.
According to ED investigations, the claimed entity stole money from house purchasers by recording fictitious building costs in group entities. The Directors/Promoters of Mahira Group got cash equivalent to the phoney purchases from the entities generating the fake bills/invoices, which were utilised for personal advantage. Several personal family expenses were also recorded in group companies as construction/business expenses.
For personal benefit, the Directors/Promoters routed property purchasers’ money to other group corporations as loans [which have been overdue for years]. According to preliminary investigations, the Directors/Promoters of Mahira Group syphoned off approximately Rs. 107.5 Crore [fake expenses of Rs. 57 Crore and loans to group entities of Rs. 50.50 Crore] from M/s Sai Aaina Farms Pvt. Ltd. [belonging to home buyers of Sector 68 housing project] alone. Investigations into the financial activities of the other four affordable housing projects are ongoing.
The Mahira Group’s Directors/Promoters, Dharam Singh Chhoker, Sikander Singh, and Vikas Chhoker, as well as other important workers, were missing during the ED search and have yet to join the inquiry. During the search operations, freezing orders were filed for Mahira Group offices and bank accounts.
During the search, four luxury automobiles valued at about Rs. 4 crore, jewellery worth Rs. 14.5 lakh, cash worth Rs. 4.5 lakh and evidence relating to the syphoning of house buyer money were confiscated. More research is being conducted.
