The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Delhi Police to arrest Amrapali Group’s Chief Managing Director Anil Sharma and two directors based on a criminal case filed against them, PTI reported. The court also allowed the attachment of personal properties owned by Sharma and the two directors – Shiv Priya and Ajay Kumar.

The Supreme Court is hearing a batch of petitions by home buyers seeking possession of around 42,000 flats booked in Amrapali Group projects in Uttar Pradesh. In December, the court had ordered the confiscation and sale of the group’s assets after advocate ML Lahoty, appearing for the petitioners, alleged that the company had diverted around Rs 3,000 crore of home-buyers’ money for other purposes.

A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and UU Lalit said the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi Police has now been allowed to arrest and interrogate the three accused in separate cases related to cheating. “We had never stopped any agency from arresting the directors, who are presently housed at a hotel under the detention of Uttar Pradesh Police,” the court said.

In December 2018, the Supreme Court had ordered that a five-star hotel, cinema hall, malls and factories belonging to the Amrapali Group be attached and sold and called the real estate firm a “perfect liar”, and “the worst kind of cheater”.