Midnight arrest of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in Patra 'chawl' scam
On Sunday, an Enforcement Directorate team arrived at Raut's residence in Mumbai's Bhandup area. The officials searched the residence and questioned the Sena leader. The agency summoned him to its local office for questioning in the evening after the team seized Rs 11.5 lakh in cash during the search, the officials said.
FollowShiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut will be presented before the special PMLA court on Monday after being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of a Mumbai 'chawl'.
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Raut was arrested at 12:05 am on Monday after over six hours of questioning at the ED's zonal office in south Mumbai's Ballard Estate. According to Enforcement Directorate officials, the 60-year-old Sena leader was not cooperating in the probe and was booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The Enforcement Directorate will seek the Rajya Sabha MP's custody when he is produced before a special PMLA court in Mumbai.
On Sunday, an Enforcement Directorate team arrived at Raut's residence in Mumbai's Bhandup area. The officials searched the residence and questioned the Sena leader. The officials said the agency summoned him to its local office for questioning in the evening after the team seized Rs 11.5 lakh in cash during the search.
Before entering the ED office, Raut had told media persons that a "false" case had been foisted upon him and that the federal agency's action aimed to weaken Maharashtra and the Shiv Sena.
The ED is investigating allegations of financial irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra 'chawl' and related financial property transactions that allegedly involve his wife and associates.
As part of this investigation, in April, the agency had provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 11.15 crore belonging to Raut's wife Varsha and two of his associates.
The attached properties included land held by Pravin M Raut, Sanjay Raut's aide and a former director of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, at Palghar, Padgha (in Thane district) and Saphale (a town in Palghar).
These properties also include eight plots at Kihim beach in Alibaug jointly held by Varsha Raut, and Swapna Patkar, wife of Sujit Patkar, a "close associate" of Sanjay Raut and a flat in Mumbai's suburb Dadar held by Varsha Raut, the ED had said.
The agency is understood to have questioned the Sena leader about the property deals involving his wife and his "business and other links" with Pravin Raut and Patkar.
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