The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Sunday reached Shiv Sena leader and member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut’s residence at Mumbai’s Bhandup (East) to search his house. The agency earlier sent two summons to Raut to join the investigations at ED office in connection with the money laundering case linked to the redevelopment of Patra Chawl in Mumbai’s Goregaon area but he skipped the summons twice. Raut’s lawyer has sought time till August 7 due to the ongoing Parliament session.
Raut, who is in the Uddhav Thackeray camp, denied any wrongdoing in a series of tweets shorty after the ED team started the search. “I swear by late Balasabheb Thackeray that I have nothing to do with any scam…Balasaheb taught us to fight..I will continue to fight for Shiv Sena,” he said. “I will not leave Shiv Sena..Even if I die, I will not surrender,” he added.
Several Shiv Sena supporters reached outside Raut’s place soon after they learnt about ED’s action and started protesting against the agency’s move. A team comprising eight to 10 officials reached at Raut’s place on Sunday morning and they have been searching the one plus two structure at Bhandup (east) belonging to Raut.
“The agency asked to bring certain documents so we require some time to collect the documents, we requested the agency to give at least two weeks’ time,” Raut’s lawyer said on July 27.
Two days ago, Swapna Patkar, a witness in the same case approached the Mumbai police with a complaint alleging that she has been pressurised to withdraw her statement against Raut. In February this year, the agency arrested Pravin Raut, a former director in Guru Ashish Construction and an alleged aide of Sanjay Raut. In April, the agency attached properties worth ₹11.15 crore belonging to Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut, Pravin Raut and Swapna Patkar.
ED issued summon to Sanjay Raut 10 days ago asking him to attend the agency’s Mumbai office on July 27 but he sought time to appear on august 7 and gave reason that he could not appear due to ongoing Parliament session.
Earlier, ED officials questioned Raut’s close associate Sujit Patkar and his wife Swapna Patkar in the case. ED suspects that Raut allegedly bought land in Alibaug in Swapna Patkar’s name. ED’s case is based on a first information report (FIR) registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police in 2018 against Rakesh and Sarang Wadhawan, promoters of the real estate company Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of HDIL that undertook the redevelopment of Patra Chawl in Goregaon and its director Pravin Raut among others.
According to ED officials, a tripartite agreement was signed between the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), Guru Ashish Construction and the society formed by the tenants for the redevelopment of Patra Chawl in 2008. Under the agreement, the developer had to provide flats to rehabilitate 672 tenants as well as build a certain number of flats for MHADA before selling the remaining area, ED said earlier. “The probe revealed that Guru Ashish misled MHADA and collected ₹901.79 crore without constructing the rehab component buildings for 672 displaced tenants and for MHADA. Subsequently, the company launched another project, Meadows, and collected ₹138 crore from flat buyers,” the agency said.
The agency further said that its probe so far has found that around ₹100 crore were transferred from HDIL to the account of Pravin Raut, who was arrested in the case on February 2. This amount was further “diverted” by Pravin Raut, a close associate of the Sena MP, to various accounts of his associates, family members, his business entities etc., ED said.
“In 2010, part of the proceeds of crime, ₹83 lakh, was received by Varsha Raut, wife of Sanjay Raut, directly/indirectly from Madhuri Raut, wife of Pravin Raut,” ED said in a statement earlier. “This amount was utilised by Varsha Raut for purchase of flat at Dadar East,” the agency claimed.
Besides, eight plots of land at Kihim beach in Alibaug were purchased in the name of Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, wife of Sujit Patkar who is another close associate of Sanjay Raut, ED said.
As part of its probe, in April, ED attached properties worth ₹11.15 crore belonging to Varsha Raut, including the flat in Dadar and plots in Kihim, officials said. ED has also attached Pravin Raut’s immovable assets worth ₹72.6 crore in connection with the PMC bank fraud case in December 2022.