New Delhi, Jul 26 (IANS) Tighetening its noose in the Manesar land deal case, the Enforcement Directorate has attached properties worth Rs 66 crore, including 18-acre land and Rs 23 crore in a bank account, officials said on Friday.

A senior ED official told IANS that money laundering charges prompted the ED action.

The official said it had attached properties worth Rs 66.57 crore of Mahamaya Exports and Atul Bansal, associated with ABWIL group.

The official said that the attached assets consisting of 14.56 acres at Gurgaon (valued Rs 43.54 crore) belongs to Mahamaya Exports Pvt. Ltd, and four acres and bank balances worth Rs 23.03 crore of other accused persons.

The official said most of the land was purchased by ABWIL Group controlled by Atul Bansal.

He said after obtaining licences, ABWIL had fraudulently sold the licensed or unlicensed land and licences to the private persons or developers, thus making huge profits.

The official further said that proceeds of crime consists of 14.56 acres of land of Mahamaya Exports Pvt. Ltd in which Atul Bansal and Sona Bansal hold 74 per cent of shares and four acres of land and balances in the bank account of other accused persons.

The ED is probing the case of land deal it registered in 2016. It has booked a case of money laundering against former Haryana Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and others on the basis of a CBI case.

The ED questioned Hooda on Thursday for over eight hours in Chandigarh. The agency has earlier attached assets worth Rs 42.19 crore in the case.