Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday summoned some more people in connection with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s money laundering case.
Earlier in the day, the probe agency conducted raids at two different locations in Mumbai in connection with the Patra Chawl scam. Sanjay Raut is currently in the custody of the ED in a money laundering case related to irregularities in a chawl re-development project in Mumbai’s Goregaon area. He has been sent to Enforcement Directorate’s custody till August 4.
ED on Monday told a special PMLA court in Mumbai that former director of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd Pravin Raut was the frontman of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl scam.
Sunil Raut had earlier said that the Shiv Sena leader has been framed since the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre is afraid of him.
On Monday, ED produced Shiv Sena MP before a special sessions court after his arrest here early this morning in connection with the Patra Chawl money laundering case.
ED officials raided the Shiv Sena leader’s home on Sunday, and after detaining and questioning him for several hours, arrested him in the early hours today. Raut is a close aide of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Meanwhile, another FIR was registered against Sanjay Raut in Mumbai for allegedly threatening Swapna Patkar, the wife of Sujit Patkar, believed to be a close aide of the Shiv Sena MP.
The case was registered at the Vakola police station under sections 504, 506 and 509 of IPC. An audio clip had gone viral in which Raut was allegedly heard threatening Swapna Patkar.
Notably, Swapna Patkar is a witness in the Patra Chawl land case in connection to which the ED detained Raut on Sunday.
According to sources, ED officials seized Rs 11.50 lakh unaccounted cash from the residence of Raut earlier on Sunday. ED sleuths reached Raut’s residence around 7 am on Sunday and conducted the raid.
Soon after the ED officials detained him in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case, the Shiv Sena leader said that “Jhukega nahi” (will not be cowed down)”.
Speaking to media persons on Sunday, Raut said, “False charges and documents are being framed against people. All of this is being done to weaken Shiv Sena and Maharashtra. Sanjay Raut will not be cowed down. I will not leave the party.”
On June 28 this year, Raut was summoned by ED in connection with the prevention of the money laundering case pertaining to the Rs 1,034 crore Patra Chawl land scam.
Refusing to join the probe and citing the Monsoon Session of Parliament as a reason for not joining the probe, he then dared the probe agency to arrest him. Later, he reached the ED office.
In April this year, the ED had provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 11.15 crore belonging to Raut’s wife Varsha Raut and two of his associates as part of its investigation.