JAMMU, Nov 2: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth Rs 10.66 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the Patnitop hotels land encroachment case, taking the total value of attached properties in the case to approximately Rs 41.38 crore.
According to an ED spokesperson, the latest attachment includes the land and buildings of Hotel Holiday Inn, Hotel Broadway, Hotel Hollywood and Hotel Mountview, located in the Patnitop hill resort of Udhampur district.
The agency had earlier issued two provisional attachment orders in 2025, attaching properties worth approximately Rs 30.72 crore in the same case.
The ED initiated its investigation based on an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation's Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBI-ACB), Jammu, against several hotel, guest house, resort, cottage and residential property owners and directors in Patnitop, along with officials of the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA).
The allegations involve the commercial use of residential buildings, construction beyond approved limits and the operation of commercial establishments in prohibited areas, including dense forest, agricultural and residential zones. The investigation also revealed alleged lapses by PDA officials in ensuring compliance with the prescribed rules and regulations, the spokesperson said.
In 2023, the CBI filed six chargesheets against eight hotel owners associated with six hotels and several PDA officials under various provisions of the Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption Act, Ranbir Penal Code, Registration of Tourist Trade Act and Jammu and Kashmir Forest Act.
During its investigation, the ED found that Hotel Holiday Inn had allegedly raised unauthorised construction measuring 7,552.74 square feet beyond its sanctioned building plan, despite having obtained building permission.
The agency also found that Hotel Broadway, Hotel Hollywood and Hotel Mountview were allegedly being operated commercially without the requisite permissions to run hotels.
Accordingly, the hotel buildings, unauthorised constructions, adjoining land and other identified properties equivalent in value to the proceeds generated through the alleged unauthorised commercial exploitation have been provisionally attached as proceeds of crime under the PMLA, the spokesperson said.
The ED said further investigation into the case is underway.
