ED conducts searches on premises linked to ex-Haryana minister Gopal Kanda

The four projects under investigation involved collection of approximately ₹248.46 crore from 661 investors, without handing over possession or executing the promised sale deeds till date

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday launched raids on Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) leader and businessman Gopal Kanda in connection with a real-estate fraud, people familiar with the development said.

The agency’s Gurugram office is investigating “a large-scale real estate fraud by Vatika Limited in which investors were induced to invest in commercial projects on assurances of timely possession, assured returns, lease rentals and execution of sale deeds,” according to an officer.

“The four projects under investigation involved collection of approximately ₹248.46 crore from 661 investors, without handing over possession or executing the promised sale deeds till date,” he added.

Based on the financial trail and suspected diversion of home buyers’ funds, officials said, raids were conducted on Thursday at three premises in Gurugram, linked to Kanda, “his residence, farmhouse and office premises”.

Also Read: Sirsa election result: HLP’s Gopal Kanda suffers defeat by margin of 7,234 votes

ED probe has revealed that the diverted funds were subsequently transferred to various companies linked with Kanda.

A former legislator from Sirsa seat, Kanda was defeated in 2024 assembly elections by Congress’s Gokul Setia.

Advocate Arun Khatri, who represents Kanda, said “we are trying to ascertain the details of ED case for now”.

Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More