A special court has ordered the restitution of 282 immovable properties, valued at approximately ₹9,420.57 crore, which were attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the PACL Limited case, to the Justice Lodha Committee for the purpose of returning funds to the investors who were cheated.

The agency has so far attached assets worth close to ₹28,626 crore in India and Australia. These assets are held in the name of PACL Limited, its group/associate entities, and family members/associates of the late Nirmal Singh Bhangoo, including Barinder Kaur (daughter), Harsatinder Pal Singh Hayer (son-in-law), Sukhwinder Kaur (daughter), Gurpartap Singh (son-in-law), and Prem Kaur (wife).

The ED probe is based on a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against the company and its promoters for allegedly defrauding lakhs of investors. The accused had mobilised over ₹68,000 crore from investors across India, under the pretext of investment schemes, of which ₹48,000 crore remained unpaid to them.

In February, the Supreme Court ordered the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of Justice (retired) R.M. Lodha, former Chief Justice of India. The court directed that the assets of PACL be disposed of and the sale proceeds be used to refund investors.

The ED has arrested Mr. Hayer and secured non-bailable warrants against Ms. Barinder and Ms. Prem Kaur. Proceedings under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act have been initiated against Ms. Sukhwinder Kaur and Mr. Gurpartap Singh, said the agency.