JAMMU — The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth approximately ₹10.66 crore belonging to four hotels in Patnitop area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district in connection with a land encroachment and illegal construction case, officials said on Monday.
The attached properties include land and buildings of Hotel Holiday Inn, Hotel Broadway, Hotel Hollywood and Hotel Mountview, the ED said in a statement.
The investigation was initiated on the basis of FIRs registered by the CBI and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Jammu, against owners and directors of hotels, guest houses, resorts and officials of the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA) over alleged illegal commercial use of residential buildings, excess construction beyond approved limits and encroachment on forest and agricultural land.
The ED said its investigation revealed that Hotel Holiday Inn had constructed 7,552.74 square feet beyond the approved building plan, while Hotel Broadway, Hotel Hollywood and Hotel Mountview were operating without the requisite permissions.
The agency said the properties, unauthorised constructions and assets equivalent to income derived from the alleged illegal commercial exploitation had been provisionally attached as proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
Earlier, the ED had issued two provisional attachment orders in 2025, attaching properties worth ₹30.72 crore in the same case. With the latest attachment, the cumulative value of properties provisionally attached has reached approximately ₹41.38 crore.
Further investigation is underway, the ED said. — (KIMS)