ED Attaches Properties Worth Rs 6.77 Crore in Trans-Arunachal Highway Compensation Scam
This latest action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, takes the total value of proceeds of crime secured in the case to approximately Rs 16.90 crore.
NEW DELHI/ITANAGAR- The Enforcement Directorate ( ED ) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 6.77 crore in connection with an alleged land acquisition compensation scam involving the Trans-Arunachal Highway (TAH) project. This latest action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, takes the total value of proceeds of crime secured in the case to approximately Rs 16.90 crore.
The ED’s Itanagar Sub-Zonal Office issued the attachment as the “value thereof” of proceeds of crime identified during further investigation. The attached properties are.
- – A residential property at Yeggo village, Aalo, West Siang district, in the name of Late Kemo Lollen (then Deputy Commissioner, Ziro), attached to the extent of Rs 2.40 crore.
- – JEYOUCH HUTS Resort at Tigdo Village, Doimukh, Papum Pare district, in the name of Toko That Jotam, valued at Rs 2 crore.
- – A residential and commercial property at A-Sector, Naharlagun, Papum Pare district, in the name of Tadar Babin, valued at Rs 2.37 crore.
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Official Statement and Investigation Details
According to the ED’s official statement, the persons linked to the attached properties include Late Kemo Lollen, who oversaw the disbursement of compensation as the then Deputy Commissioner at Ziro; Toko Taje, the then Junior Engineer of Yazali Division involved in the structural assessment of compensation claims (whose family-held property standing in the name of his son has been attached); and Tadar Babin, who was fraudulently included as a beneficiary without any lawful entitlement.
The investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Special Investigation Cell (Vigilance) Police Station, Itanagar. It pertains to large-scale irregularities in the assessment and disbursement of land acquisition compensation for the Potin-Bopi stretch of the TAH project. A Fact-Finding Committee constituted by the Arunachal Pradesh government identified excess compensation payments of approximately Rs 44.98 crore made to fictitious or ineligible beneficiaries on the basis of manipulated records by public servants in connivance with private persons, causing wrongful loss to the government exchequer.
Further investigation, including scrutiny of bank accounts, documentary evidence, and statements recorded under the PMLA, revealed additional proceeds of crime. Key findings include:
- – An alleged cash payment of Rs 2 crore to Late Kemo Lollen in consideration of the fraudulent inclusion of an ineligible person as a beneficiary.
- – Rs 40 lakh routed through M/s Tenzin Enterprises and subsequently handed over to Late Kemo Lollen through his son.
- – Transfer of Rs 2 crore to the bank account of Toko Youch (wife of Toko Taje), which was subsequently utilised and layered through various accounts.
- – Receipt of approximately Rs 5.47 crore by Tadar Babin as compensation, despite him possessing no land, structure, or other asset in the project area and having no lawful entitlement.
Earlier Actions in the Case
Previous enforcement actions include freezing of bank balances/deposits aggregating to around Rs 5.14 crore; seizure of Rs 2.62 crore in cash during searches conducted on February 6, 2026 (Rs 2.40 crore from Likha Maj and Rs 22 lakh from Tadar Babin); and attachment of immovable properties of Tadar Babin and Likha Maj worth around Rs 2.37 crore under a Provisional Attachment Order dated March 23, 2026.
The ED had earlier filed a charge sheet, of which the Special PMLA Court at Yupia took cognisance, followed by a supplementary charge sheet. Further investigation is underway.
This attachment forms part of the ED’s ongoing efforts to identify, trace, and secure proceeds of crime generated from the alleged fraudulent diversion of government funds earmarked for land acquisition compensation in the TAH project.
