₹1 crore to ₹5.8 crore in 21 days: Panchkula land flip triggers ACB crackdown

In a staggering land deal that ballooned from ₹1 crore to ₹5.8 crore in just 21 days, the Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested a tehsildar in Panchkula, alleging that the transaction was executed in violation of a Supreme Court stay on properties linked to the Pearls Group.

At the centre of the controversy is a 17-acre parcel of land in Raipur Rani tehsil. According to investigators, the land was purchased for ₹1 crore and resold three weeks later for ₹5.8 crore — generating a windfall profit of ₹4.8 crore.

The ACB arrested Vikram Singla, 48, the tehsildar of Raipur Rani, on January 31. After a five-day police remand, he is now in judicial custody. The bureau has also named District Revenue Officer (DRO) at Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) Joginder Sharma and a Bhiwani resident, Naveen, alleging the trio “earned profits running into crores” from the transaction.

While searches have been conducted at the premises of Sharma and Naveen, Sharma has moved a Panchkula court seeking anticipatory bail. His plea is scheduled to be heard on February 11.

His counsel, Deepanshu Bansal — who also represents Singla — has termed the arrest “a violation of Supreme Court directions” and asserted that there is “no allegation of demand or acceptance of bribe” against the revenue official.

Alleged violation of attachment orders

The land in question is suspected to be part of properties belonging to the Pearls Group, attached by investigating agencies years ago. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had informed Haryana revenue authorities about these attachments in 2016 and again in 2019.

Despite this, the ACB alleges that Singla executed at least five registries of Pearls-linked properties.

In the present case, a woman identified as Baldev Kaur reportedly applied for release of her 17 acres from attachment. Investigators claim the land was cleared within days. On October 16, 2025, the property was registered in Naveen’s name for approximately ₹1 crore. Just 21 days later, on November 6, 2025, Naveen sold the same land to four buyers for ₹5.8 crore.

The ACB maintains that Singla was fully aware that attached land could neither be sold nor transferred. It alleges that he, in collusion with landowners, facilitated the release through a patwari within 13 days and went on to execute the registration, inheritance mutation and sale deed in violation of established rules — allegedly extending undue benefit to associates and potentially harming Pearls investors.

Officials have also flagged suspected “large-scale financial transactions” linked to the deal.

Defence cries foul

Counsel Bansal has strongly contested the allegations, arguing that “the record does not establish that the land concerned was part of the Pearls Group”.

“The prosecution is insisting there was a Supreme Court stay, but at present there is nothing on record to corroborate this,” he said.

Calling the arrest legally untenable, Bansal further claimed that no notice was issued under Section 35 of the BNSS before Singla’s arrest and that the agency failed to comply with Supreme Court guidelines laid down in the Arnesh Kumar judgment.

“There is neither a complaint nor any aggrieved party in this matter. The investigating agency is proceeding on whims and fancies,” he added.

Larger shadow of ₹45,000-crore scam

The case unfolds against the backdrop of the massive ₹45,000-crore Pearls Ponzi scam, which remains under investigation. Authorities are now probing whether the Panchkula land deal forms part of a wider pattern of irregular transfers of attached assets.

With court proceedings underway and anticipatory bail pending, the high-speed ₹1 crore-to-₹5.8 crore flip has raised serious questions about oversight within the revenue machinery — and whether safeguards around attached properties were deliberately bypassed.