Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut Detained By ED For Money Laundering Case of Patra Chawl

On Sunday (31/07/2022) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) kept Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut after hours of search at his Mumbai home regarding a money laundering case. ED authorities took the Sena leader to the ED office in Mumbai.

The raid activity followed two summonses given by the ED against Raut, the most recent being on July 27. Raut was called for questioning by the ED in a tax evasion case connected to the supposed irregularities in the re-development of a Mumbai ‘Chawl’ and related transactions including his spouse and associates.

Sanjay Raut, the editor of the Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, had shown up before the ED in Mumbai to keep his statement on July 1 regarding the case.

From that point onward, the ED had summoned him two times, yet he had avoided the summonses referring to his commitment to the ongoing Parliament meeting. At 7 am on Sunday, ED authorities, joined by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) staff, arrived at Raut’s ‘Maitri’ home situated in rural Bhandup, and started the raid.

The BJP hit back at the Sena leader for avoiding the summons. “Why is he scared of Enforcement Directorate if he is innocent? He has all the time to give press conferences but no time to visit the probe agency office for questioning,” said BJP MLA Ram Kadam.

The Rajya Sabha member, who is in the Uddhav Thackeray camp of the Shiv Sena, has denied any bad behavior and asserted that he was being targeted because of the political feud.

“I swear by late Balasabheb Thackeray that I have nothing to do with any scam,” Raut tweeted shortly after the ED action began. “I will die but won’t leave Shiv Sena,”

The MP was questioned for regarding 10 hours on July 1, during which his assertion was recorded under the criminal segments of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

In April, the Enforcement Directorate attached assets worth over ₹ 11.15 crore of the wife of Raut Varsha Raut and two of his partners as a component of its probe.

The properties include a flat in Dadar held by Varsha Raut and eight plots at the Kihim beachside in Alibaug together held by Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, the spouse of Sujit Patkar, a nearby partner of Sanjay Raut.

The ED needs to interrogate Sanjay Raut to know about his “business and different connections” with his nearby partners Pravin Raut and Sujit Patkar and furthermore about the property trades including his wife.

Pravin Raut was captured in a probe connected to a ₹ 1,034-crore claimed land scam related to the re-development of the Patra Chawl in Goregaon region. He is presently in legal authority.

Guru Ashish Construction Private Ltd. was engaged with the re-development of the “Chawl “, which had 672 tenants living in apartments on 47 acres of land having a place with the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA), the ED had said before.