Delhi Judge Holds Emergency 3 AM Hearing to Remand Money-Laundering Accused Swaraj Singh Yadav
A Delhi judge convened an emergency 3 AM hearing to remand PMAY scam accused Swaraj Singh Yadav to ED custody after an overnight arrest and day-long search operations
Late-night ED arrest led to a rare 3 AM hearing where a Delhi judge remanded PMAY scam accused Swaraj Singh Yadav to ED custody in a major money-laundering probe
A special hearing was convened at the residence of Additional Sessions Judge Shefali Barnala Tandon at Patiala House Courts around 3 AM on friday, i.e. November 14 to remand real estate promoter Swaraj Singh Yadav to the Enforcement Directorate’s custody.
Yadav, the promoter of Ocean Seven Buildtech Pvt Ltd (OSBPL), is facing allegations of laundering funds collected from homebuyers under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) projects in Gurgaon.
The Enforcement Directorate informed the Judge that its search operation against Yadav had commenced at 6:55 AM on Thursday.
Citing Supreme Court and High Court guidelines that mandate producing an accused within 24 hours of the first search, the agency sought an urgent late-night remand.
When proceedings opened at 3:05 AM, Yadav’s counsel had not yet arrived. Arguments continued until 6:30 AM, after which the judge remanded Yadav to ED custody until November 28, directing that he be produced at 2 PM on the same day.
Yadav was arrested on November 13 following coordinated searches at nine locations across Delhi-NCR and other cities under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The ED recovered Rs 86 lakh in cash, allegedly linked to the proceeds of crime, along with incriminating documents and digital evidence.
According to the agency, Yadav is at the centre of a scheme involving fraudulent diversion and laundering of funds collected from homebuyers across multiple OSBPL projects. The ED alleges that units allotted under PMAY were cancelled under fabricated reasons and then resold at inflated prices without refunding earlier payments, allowing Yadav to collect dual proceeds. He is further accused of personally controlling the cash-based premium amounts collected during such resales, besides the payments routed through banking channels.
The ED told the court that the Rs 86 lakh seized during the search was found in the possession of a relative and represented proceeds from a land sale in Rajasthan made by Yadav. The agency says this establishes his active concealment of proceeds of crime.
Investigators have also flagged a swift pattern of asset liquidation by Yadav and entities linked to him across Gurgaon, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. The agency claims these transactions show an intent to dissipate illicit gains and secure potential flight from prosecution. Noting that his wife and children have already relocated to the United States, the ED argued that custodial interrogation was necessary.
The agency further described a larger modus operandi involving cancellation and resale of PMAY units, diversion of escrow funds into shell companies, and systematic concealment of cash proceeds.
Yadav’s custodial interrogation is expected to focus on money trails, associated shell entities, and individuals involved in the alleged laundering operations. The ED is continuing its investigation into the OSBPL-linked money-laundering network.
[Inputs: TOI, Times Now]