ED attaches Rs 6.77 crore more in alleged Trans-Arunachal Highway compensation scam
The ED has provisionally attached three more properties worth Rs 6.77 crore in the alleged Trans-Arunachal Highway land compensation scam, taking the total it has secured to Rs 16.90 crore.
Key points
- The ED's Itanagar office has provisionally attached three properties worth Rs 6.77 crore under the PMLA in the Trans-Arunachal Highway compensation case.
- A state fact-finding committee found excess compensation of about Rs 44.98 crore paid to ineligible beneficiaries, according to the ED.
- The ED says the total it has secured in the case is about Rs 16.90 crore; the attachment must be confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority.
Photo: Blogtrepreneur / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped). Representational image.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached three properties worth Rs 6.77 crore in Arunachal Pradesh in the alleged Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) land acquisition compensation scam, it said on 6 November 2026. With this, the ED says the total proceeds of crime it has secured in the case stand at about Rs 16.90 crore.
What Happened
The ED's Itanagar Sub-Zonal Office attached the properties under Section 5(1) of the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act (PMLA). They are a residential property at Aalo in West Siang district, held by the then deputy commissioner of Ziro, who has since died (Rs 2.40 crore); a resort at Doimukh in Papum Pare district, held by the son of the then junior engineer of Yazali Division (Rs 2 crore); and a property at Naharlagun held by a beneficiary (Rs 2.37 crore).
The case began with an FIR by the SIC (Vigilance) police station in Itanagar over compensation for land acquired for the Potin-Bopi stretch of the highway. According to the ED, a fact-finding committee set up by the state government found excess compensation of about Rs 44.98 crore paid to fictitious or ineligible beneficiaries on the basis of records manipulated by public servants with private persons.
The ED alleges that Rs 2 crore was paid in cash to the then deputy commissioner for including an ineligible person as a beneficiary, and that a further Rs 40 lakh reached him through a firm, M/s Tenzin Enterprises. It alleges that Rs 2 crore was transferred to the account of the junior engineer's wife, and that one beneficiary received about Rs 5.47 crore without owning any land or structure in the project area.
Earlier, the ED froze about Rs 5.14 crore in bank balances, seized Rs 2.62 crore in cash in searches on 6 February 2026, and attached properties worth about Rs 2.37 crore in March 2026. It filed a prosecution complaint on 12 March 2024 and a supplementary complaint on 30 March 2026 before the Special Court (PMLA) at Yupia.
These are allegations, not findings of guilt; the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, and due process continues.
What It Means
The owners cannot sell or transfer the attached properties while the case proceeds; the attachment must be confirmed by the PMLA Adjudicating Authority. The ED said further investigation is under way.
This report describes enforcement actions and allegations on the public record, attributed to the officials cited. An order, FIR or chargesheet is not a conviction; parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Sources & Citations
- Enforcement Directorate press release — Enforcement Directorate