Patnitop, Jammu and Kashmir – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken control of two hotels in Patnitop, valued at around Rs 15 crore, as part of a money laundering investigation. The hotels, Hotel Trinetra Resorts and Hotel Green Orchid, are accused of breaking rules set by the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA).
The ED said in a statement that the hotels were built beyond the allowed area and had made extra constructions without permission. The agency also said that the hotels had taken over land that they were not supposed to use and were making money from it.
The investigation started with a complaint filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against hotel owners and PDA officials. The CBI alleged that hotels in the area were being used for commercial purposes without permission, and that officials were not doing their job to stop it.
The ED has attached the two hotels, which are worth around Rs 14.93 crore, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This means that the hotels cannot be sold or used until the investigation is complete.
The action taken by the ED is part of a larger effort to stop illegal construction and money laundering in the region.
ED, Jammu has provisionally attached Hotel Trinetra Resorts and Hotel Green Orchid both at Patnitop (J&K) worth Rs. 14.93 Crore (approx.) in the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) case under the PMLA, 2002. pic.twitter.com/hv5iUtyyfS
— ED (@dir_ed) January 21, 2025
