Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 14: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sought the registration of an FIR over suspected irregularities in land purchases by the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), alleging that two firms bought land in Amritsar for less than Rs 20 lakh per acre and sold portions of it to the cricket body for nearly Rs 3 crore per acre within months.
In a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Mohali, the ED flagged transactions involving AGM Heights Pvt Ltd and Future Homes. The firms allegedly purchased land from local farmers and subsequently sold portions of it to the PCA at substantially higher prices. The agency suspects that the transactions may have involved the misappropriation of PCA funds.
According to the ED's letter, AGM Heights purchased around 7.63 acres from farmers between September and November 2025 for Rs 1.36 crore. On February 16, 2026, it sold around 4.05 acres to the PCA for Rs 12.03 crore.
Future Homes purchased approximately 28.01 acres from local owners between August and November 2025 for Rs 5.56 crore. On February 16, 2026, the firm sold around 15.44 acres to the PCA for Rs 46.18 crore.
Together, the two firms purchased around 35.64 acres for Rs 6.92 crore and subsequently sold approximately 19.49 acres to the PCA for Rs 58.22 crore within three to six months. The ED alleged that the association paid around 15.4 times the price originally paid by the firms for the land.
The agency has also flagged a separate transaction involving 12.56 acres in Deon village, Bathinda. The PCA purchased the land from Darshan Singh for Rs 19.76 crore on December 20, 2024, at approximately Rs 1.57 crore per acre. This was nearly four times the government collector rate of Rs 40 lakh per acre, according to the records cited in the letter.
The PCA also purchased around 19.47 acres in Ajnala, Amritsar. The two land parcels in Amritsar and Bathinda together measured approximately 32.03 acres and cost around Rs 77.99 crore, according to the ED.
Apart from the purchase prices, the agency has questioned the movement of funds after the transactions.
In the case of AGM Heights, the PCA allegedly paid Rs 11.91 crore, excluding tax deducted at source (TDS), into the firm's HDFC Bank account on February 17, 2026. The ED said the entire amount was withdrawn within two months. Major payments allegedly included Rs 3.58 crore to Harimohan Kaur Randhawa, Rs 2.03 crore to company director Gurpreet Singh and Rs 69.51 lakh to a GST contractor.
Future Homes allegedly received Rs 45.72 crore, excluding TDS, from the PCA through a cheque or demand draft deposited into its Punjab National Bank account on February 18, 2026. According to the ED, Rs 45 crore was subsequently transferred to the firm's partners, Ramneek Singh and Shallu Dhigra, who received Rs 22.50 crore each.
The agency also flagged other payments allegedly made by Future Homes, including Rs 3.66 crore to Kashmir Singh, Rs 2.65 crore to five individuals from Bhalla Pind in Punjab and Rs 2.30 crore to AGM Heights. The partners had earlier contributed Rs 7.62 crore and Rs 5.97 crore, respectively, to Future Homes, the letter stated.
The ED has also raised questions about payments to Darshan Singh for the Bathinda land. The PCA allegedly paid him Rs 19.57 crore, excluding TDS, through eight cheques or demand drafts deposited into three bank accounts, including accounts with HDFC Bank and ICICI Bank. The agency alleged that most of the money was subsequently transferred to various individuals and that Rs 44.60 lakh was withdrawn in cash.
The letter further questioned the financial dealings between AGM Heights and Future Homes. According to the ED, Future Homes opened its bank account on July 24, 2025, and received Rs 59.72 crore, including Rs 45.72 crore from the PCA. Total debits from the account amounted to Rs 59.56 crore, with most of the money reportedly transferred to the firm's partners.
The agency also flagged a transfer of Rs 1.5 crore from Future Homes to AGM Heights after the former received funds from the PCA, describing it as a suspicious transaction between the entities involved in the land deals.
The ED's letter noted that AGM Heights was incorporated in 2023 with a share capital of Rs 15 lakh and paid-up capital of Rs 2 lakh. The agency has questioned the firm's land transactions within the first few years of its incorporation.
The letter also referred to Amarjit Singh Mehta, who has served as PCA president since February 2023 and hails from Bathinda, and his son Padamjeet Singh Mehta, the Mayor of Bathinda. The agency noted that the Bathinda land purchase took place during Amarjit Singh Mehta's tenure as PCA president.
The PCA governs cricket in Punjab and the Union Territory of Chandigarh and is affiliated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Its headquarters are at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali.
Based on its preliminary enquiries, the ED has alleged that PCA funds may have been misappropriated through land purchases at inflated prices, followed by the withdrawal or transfer of substantial sums to private firms and individuals.
The agency said the transactions may involve cognisable offences, including criminal conspiracy and cheating under Sections 61(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. The allegations are part of the ED's request for an FIR, and the claims have not been established in court.