Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Nov 16: In an extraordinary late-night development, Additional Sessions Judge Shefali Barnala Tandon held court at her residence around 3 am on Friday to remand realtor Swaraj Singh Yadav to ED custody in a massive money-laundering case.
Yadav, promoter of Ocean Seven Buildtech Pvt Ltd, was arrested late Thursday after a daylong search. He is accused of illegally selling PM Awas Yojana flats in Gurugram through all-cash transactions, allegedly laundering more than Rs 222 cr meant for economically weaker homebuyers. Flats priced at Rs 26.5 lakh under PMAY were reportedly resold for Rs 40–50 lakh each after cheating original allottees whose deposits were not returned.
The ED told the judge that the search began at 6.55 am and the accused had to be produced within 24 hours, prompting the unusual 3 am hearing. Proceedings stretched until 6.30 am, after which the court sent Yadav to ED custody till Nov 28 and directed that he be produced at 2 pm that day.
According to the ED, Yadav has been operating a nationwide laundering network since 2006, duping buyers in Mumbai, Jaipur, Kotputli and Gurugram. The agency said he used the proceeds to acquire massive properties including 500 acres in Maharashtra, 100 acres on the Pune–Alibag Road, a resort in Himachal Pradesh, land in Boston and financial assets in the UK.
Officials told the court that Yadav had recently begun rapidly liquidating assets, including selling land parcels in Gurugram, Maharashtra and Jaipur, indicating he was preparing to flee. The ED further noted that his wife shifted to the US in August 2025 and large sums were transferred to her account abroad. With both children studying in the US, the agency argued that Yadav poses a significant flight risk.
The ED’s investigation into the scam, which it calls one of the largest involving PMAY flats, is ongoing.