Vatika Group leaders arrested in ₹154 crore money-laundering probe
The Enforcement Directorate detained Vatika Group chairman Anil Bhalla and promoter Gautam Bhalla over a ₹154 crore money-laundering case tied to undelivered residential plots in Gurugram.
Enforcement Directorate officials arrested Vatika Group chairman and managing director Anil Bhalla along with promoter Gautam Bhalla on Tuesday, invoking Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. The duo was taken to the Special Court (PMLA) in Gurugram and ordered to remain in ED custody until October 3. The investigation stems from several FIRs filed by the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police, accusing the promoters of fraudulent inducement, non-delivery of residential plots and related offences.
Purchasers had paid about ₹260 crore for plots in Vatika India Next and Vatika India Next-2 between 2010 and 2012, yet many plots remain undelivered after more than a decade, and the funds were allegedly routed to other group entities. A 2024 “Sell and Buy-Back” transaction with Scaler Ventures saw only a small portion of plots repurchased, with the remainder sold without the investor’s consent. Investigators seized a Mercedes-Benz GLC 300, gold and diamond jewellery valued at roughly ₹1.55 crore, and froze bank deposits and fixed deposits totaling around ₹3.04 crore.
Why it matters
The arrests highlight a major crackdown on real-estate fraud and large-scale money laundering in India.
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