The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday (June 11, 2025) said it has arrested a former MLA and a former Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) officer in an alleged money laundering case here.
Ram Niwas and Sunil Kumar Bansal were arrested on June 9, under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in the case of misappropriation of public funds in HSVP (formerly known as the Haryana Urban Development Authority) bank accounts, a statement from the agency said.
Ram Niwas was a member of the Haryana Legislative Assembly from 2019 to 2024. He represented the Narwana constituency after he won elections on a Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) ticket. He was also a former official of the HSVP.
The ED initiated the investigation on the basis of FIR registered at Panchkula by Haryana Police against unknown persons, said the statement. This case was registered on a complaint by the Drawing and Disbursing Officer of HSVP, in which it was alleged that a ‘fraud and financial loss’ was committed through a bank account of HSVP, it added.
As per the FIR, between 2015-2019, debit transactions amounting approximately Rs. 70 crore were repeatedly released in favour of some particular parties for no apparent reason from the said bank account of HSVP, causing a loss of Rs 70 Crore to HSVP.
An internal enquiry by the HSVP revealed that no such bank account was reflected in the cash branch or IT wing of HSVP, meaning that HSVP was ‘defrauded’ by Sunil Kumar Bansal and Ram Niwas in a clandestine manner,” the ED statement said.
Following their arrest, both the accused were presented before the Additional District and Sessions Court at Panchkula. They were remanded to five days’ Enforcement Directorate custody..
Published – June 12, 2025 10:41 am IST
