Royale Estate Promoters Praveen and Neeraj Kansal Remanded to ED Custody in Fake CLU Case

MOHALI, PUNJAB – The legal net has tightened around the Royale Estate Group as its promoters, Praveen Kansal (alias Roki) and Neeraj Kansal, were remanded to five days of Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody by a local court here on Saturday.

The arrest follows a high-stakes investigation into allegations of a multi-crore land fraud, involving the fraudulent acquisition of Change of Land Use (CLU) permits and systematic forgery of property documents.

The Arrest and Remand

The Kansal brothers were apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi following a series of coordinated raids conducted by federal investigators across Chandigarh and Mohali last week. Following their arrest, the agency produced the duo before a Mohali court, seeking their remand to unravel the complex web of financial transactions and potential money laundering links. The court granted a five-day remand, allowing the ED to conduct extensive questioning.

The Allegations: Forgery and Illegal Transfer

The investigation stems from a criminal case initially registered by the Punjab Police on June 11. The core of the complaint, filed by Naresh Kumar Garg and Pyare Lal Garg, alleges that the promoters orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to misappropriate property:

Forged Documentation: The complainants allege that a property purchased in 2011 was transferred to the company in 2013 without their knowledge or consent.
The “Supplementary” Deed: The transfer was purportedly executed using a “supplementary sale deed” allegedly based on a fabricated board resolution.
Regulatory Connivance: The case has taken on a more severe dimension due to allegations that the fraud was facilitated by a nexus involving the promoters, government officials, and a Deputy Tehsildar (Tarsem Mittal), who allegedly bypassed established registration protocols.

A Failed Bid for Legal Relief

The arrest concludes a period of evasion by the developers. Legal observers note that the promoters had sought to circumvent arrest by appealing to the Supreme Court after the Punjab and Haryana High Court had already directed law enforcement to take the accused into custody. When their bid for legal protection failed, reports indicate that the developers had gone into hiding, prompting a coordinated search operation by the police.

Broader Implications

The Punjab Vigilance Department is currently running a parallel investigation, having already booked the Kansal brothers and Indu Kansal alongside government personnel for their alleged roles in violating land-use rules and tampering with official records.

For the Royale Estate Group, this marks a significant escalation in their legal woes. The ED’s involvement suggests that investigators are looking beyond mere forgery and into the potential siphoning of project funds and the illicit layering of assets.

As the five-day remand period begins, the ED is expected to focus on the trail of the alleged illegal transactions and identify other public officials who may have facilitated the regulatory breaches.