Holiday Inn, Hotel Broadway, Hotel Hollywood and Hotel Mountview Among Properties Attached Under PMLA
JAMMU, NOVEMBER 2: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Jammu Sub-Zonal Office, has provisionally attached immovable properties valued at approximately ₹10.66 crore in connection with the Patnitop Hotels Land Encroachment case, taking the cumulative value of properties attached in the investigation to around ₹41.38 crore.
According to an official press release issued on November 2, the action has been initiated under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The attached properties include land and buildings associated with Hotel Holiday Inn, Hotel Broadway, Hotel Hollywood and Hotel Mountview, all situated in the Patnitop area of District Udhampur.
The ED’s investigation stems from an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Jammu, against owners and directors of hotels, guest houses, resorts, cottages and residential properties in the Patnitop region, along with officials of the Patnitop Development Authority (PDA).
The investigation concerns allegations of unauthorised commercial activities in residential buildings, construction beyond approved limits, encroachment upon land and the operation of commercial establishments in restricted areas, including dense forests, agricultural land and residential zones. The probe has also examined alleged regulatory violations and lapses in enforcement by the concerned PDA officials.
The ED stated that its investigation found Hotel Holiday Inn had exceeded its sanctioned construction limits by approximately 7,552.74 square feet despite having building permission. It also found that Hotel Broadway, Hotel Hollywood and Hotel Mountview were allegedly operating as commercial hotels without obtaining the requisite permissions.
The agency has identified the hotel structures, unauthorised constructions, adjoining land and properties allegedly linked to income generated through such activities as assets representing proceeds of crime. These properties have now been provisionally attached under the anti-money laundering law.
Earlier, in 2025, the ED had issued two provisional attachment orders involving properties worth approximately ₹30.72 crore in the same case. Following the latest action, the total value of properties provisionally attached in the investigation has reached approximately ₹41.38 crore.
Meanwhile, the investigation into the alleged land encroachment, unauthorised constructions and suspected financial irregularities in the Patnitop hotel sector is continuing.
Further investigation is underway.(KNC)
