THE ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE (ED), Lucknow Zonal Office, on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, launched search operations at 14 premises under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as part of an investigation into alleged fraudulent collection at various National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) toll plazas.

The searches are being carried out in locations across Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Jammu, Madhya Pradesh, the National Capital Region (NCR) and Kolkata.

The investigation stems from FIR No. 17, dated January 22, 2025, and ECIR No. ECIR/ASZO/04/2025, dated May 19, 2025. According to the ED, the probe has uncovered the alleged use of unauthorised software applications to generate fraudulent toll receipts and divert such collections outside the official accounting system.

Forensic examination and records obtained from the NHAI have reportedly corroborated the deployment of such software. The searches were aimed at recovering digital and documentary evidence, identifying the beneficiaries involved and tracing the proceeds of crime.

The agency said further investigation into the matter is underway.

In another case on Tuesday, the ED had provisionally attached movable assets worth approximately Rs 3.31 crore in the form of 62,914.316 units of the HDFC Balanced Advantage Fund in connection with a money-laundering case involving Akshatha Minerals Pvt Ltd and others.

The ED's Bengaluru Zonal Office issued the Provisional Attachment Order on September 1 under Section 5(1) of the PMLA.

The money-laundering investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation's Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBI-ACB), Bengaluru. The case names Akshatha Minerals Pvt Ltd, its directors and others in connection with allegations of cheating, criminal conspiracy and the use of forged documents.

The ED on Tuesday also conducted searches at the residence of K.K. Chandravanshi, also known as K.K. Chandrakar, a former personal assistant to former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. The searches were part of a money-laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC).

According to sources, a team of five to eight ED officials had reached Chandravanshi's residence in the Old Bhilai area of Durg district around 6 a.m. in two vehicles. The officials had examined documents at the premises, while security personnel were deployed outside the residence.

[HP]