SRINAGAR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth approximately Rs 10.66 crore belonging to four hotels in Patnitop in connection with an alleged land encroachment and money laundering case, taking the total value of attached assets in the investigation to around Rs 41.38 crore.
According to an official press release issued on November 2, the latest action was taken by the ED’s Jammu Sub-Zonal Office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The properties include land and buildings associated with Hotel Holiday Inn, Hotel Broadway, Hotel Hollywood and Hotel Mountview in Udhampur district.
The investigation follows an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Jammu, against owners and directors of hotels, guest houses, resorts, cottages and residential properties in the Patnitop area, as well as officials of the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA).
The case relates to allegations of unauthorised commercial operations in residential buildings, construction beyond approved limits, land encroachment and the operation of commercial establishments in restricted zones, including forest areas, agricultural land and residential localities.
The ED said its investigation found that Hotel Holiday Inn had carried out construction beyond its sanctioned limits by approximately 7,552.74 square feet, despite having building permission.
It also found that Hotel Broadway, Hotel Hollywood and Hotel Mountview were allegedly operating as commercial hotels without obtaining the necessary permissions.
According to the agency, the hotel structures, unauthorised constructions, adjoining land and other properties allegedly linked to income generated through these activities were identified as proceeds of crime and subsequently attached under the anti-money laundering law.
In 2025, the ED had issued two provisional attachment orders covering properties valued at approximately Rs 30.72 crore in the same case. With the latest attachment of around Rs 10.66 crore, the cumulative value of properties attached has reached approximately Rs 41.38 crore.
The agency said its investigation into the alleged encroachment, unauthorised construction and financial irregularities in the Patnitop hotel sector was continuing.
