October 17, 2025

“We’re incredibly excited to launch our second project in Gurgaon," said Eric Trump, running day-to-day operations and proudly calling the city by its old name near New Delhi. "And even prouder to be doing it once again with our amazing partners." But behind this shiny smile hides a spicy story. The Trump Organization’s key partners for their Indian projects — especially the Bansal family — are tangled in stormy allegations. Indian police and court documents accuse Pankaj Bansal, his billionaire father Basant, and uncle Roop of helping another developer launder around $46 million cheated from customers. Worse still, there's evidence of bribing a judge connected to the case and shady land deals. If found guilty, they could face up to seven years in prison. However, the Trump Organization itself stands clean with no legal charges in India. Yet, their Indian partners, including the Bansals, face allegations of money laundering, bribery, securities fraud, and cheating home buyers — charges sadly common in India’s vast real estate world. India is the Trump Organization’s biggest foreign market with nine projects either done or underway. Last year, these projects brought over $12 million in fees, a big chunk of the $44.6 million the company earned globally from foreign licenses and developments. One hot project is the 51-story Trump Residences Gurgaon, launched in April 2024, which sold out its luxury apartments in five hours! Eric Trump said the project was fast-tracked after Donald Trump’s 2020 election win to ride the wave of excitement. But is the Trump brand playing with fire? Transparency International calls India a country with significant corruption. At the same time, the Trump administration is reining in anti-corruption laws like the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, with President Trump calling it "antocompetitive." The Trump Organization has dropped earlier self-restrictions on overseas deals, pushing aggressively into India, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Eric Trump said in October, "I tried to do everything right in 2016 and I got very little credit for it. We still kind of got stomped on." The Bansals have been key Trump partners in Gurugram (formerly Gurgaon), a bustling business city where Trump’s first residential towers stand amid shantytowns and new developments. The family’s reach is strong, with big land banks and a foundation pledging to plant hundreds of thousands of trees. But the crux of the trouble lies with legal wrangles. Police raided the Bansals’ skyscraper homes and offices in mid-2023, seizing cash, jewelry, and luxury cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Bentley amid investigations. They’re accused of helping another firm, IREO, launder money from cheating hundreds of homebuyers. A police complaint revealed M3M, the Bansal’s company, allegedly bribed a judge by employing his nephew as legal adviser and sending money through friends. The judge denied all charges, calling it a "fake and fabricated case." Despite these allegations, the Bansals deny all wrongdoing. Their lawyer, Yateesh Wahaal, said, "We have complete faith in the Indian judicial system and are confident the ongoing proceedings will reaffirm our integrity and law-abiding record." Meanwhile, the Trump Organization continues to launch projects. With Trump’s 2024 election win boosting the brand’s value, they've announced 12 international projects, including five in India, claiming over $300 million in sales for Trump Residences. The Indian real estate saga tied to Trump is a sizzling mix of glitzy towers, political ties, heartfelt family business claims, and gripping legal battles. Will the Trump brand withstand the heat? Only time and court verdicts will tell.

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Tags: Trump organization, India real estate, Bansal family, Money laundering, Gurugram projects, Corruption allegations,