‘Further custody necessary’: ED gets Vatika promoters’ custody for 3 more days

The Gurgaon district administration on Wednesday had frozen bank accounts of Vatika over alleged Rs 80 crore in unpaid dues ordered by the Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority. (Credit: Vatika group/Facebook | Enhanced by AI)

A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Gurugram on Friday extended the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody of Vatika Limited chairman-cum-managing director Anil Bhalla and promoter Gautam Bhalla by three days in an alleged Rs 154-crore money laundering case linked to plot transactions in Gurugram.

The Bhallas, arrested on September 28, were produced before Sessions Judge-cum-Special Judge (PMLA) Narender Sura after their initial four-day remand expired.

Seeking seven more days of custody on behalf of the ED, special public prosecutors Simon Benjamin and Atul Agarwal, along with Assistant Director Dilip Singh Shaktawat (Investigating Officer), submitted that although statements of several individuals, including the accused, were recorded during the four-day custody, interrogation could not be concluded due to “paucity of time and bulky record”.

The ED argued that custody was essential to confront the promoters with documentary evidence and with 10 other individuals acquainted with the case who have been summoned for recording statements. It said further custody was required to “unearth and trace the proceeds of crime” and verify the involvement of other persons in the alleged transactions.

Opposing the plea, the defence argued that ED had sufficient time to complete its interrogation and alleged that notices issued on October 1 summoning witnesses were intended “just to get the ED custody extended”.

The defence also submitted that the accused had not been confronted with any of the individuals whose statements had been recorded during the four-day remand. Instead, they were questioned about extracts of statements and contractual agreements already in the ED’s possession, it was alleged.

Maintaining that the investigation is entirely grounded in documentary evidence, including public documents, the defence urged the court to decline any extension.

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Partly allowing the ED’s application, Judge Sura said that further custody of the accused was needed for the probe. “After perusing the record produced before this court, the nature of investigation conducted till date, and the fact that for the purpose of thorough investigation, some other persons have been summoned for making statements under Section 50 of the Act, which may be required to be put to the accused for clarification of the facts, further custody is necessary,” the court said.

The court directed that both accused be produced before it on October 5 at 4 pm.

The ED’s probe, initiated in March on the basis of Delhi Police Economic Offences Wing FIRs, concerns allegations arising from plot transactions involving residential plots of Vatika India Next in Sectors 82 to 85 and Vatika India Next-2 in Sector 88A.

The agency has alleged that land contracted for plots collected for between 2010 and 2012 was not substantially delivered and that some plots were redeveloped and sold to third parties. It has valued the allegedly undelivered plots at Rs 140.73 crore.

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The second allegation concerns a 2024 agreement with Scaler Ventures for 165 plots in Vatika India Next-2, where 14 plots were allegedly sold to third parties without consent.

The agency has pegged the total alleged proceeds of crime in the case at around Rs 154.36 crore.

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Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana. Education - Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020) - B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019) Professional Experience Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features. Reporting Interests His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon. Recent Coverage (2025) - Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025). - Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025). - Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025). - Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram. - Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025). - Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025). Contact X (Twitter): @AB_Hazardous ... Read More