Maharashtra (The Stellar News): On Monday, Sanjay Raut will be produced before a special PMLA (Prevention Money Laundering Act) court in Mumbai, where Enforcement Directorate (ED) will seek his custody in money laundering case related to redevelopment of Mumbai ‘chawl’ after the agency found alleged irregularities in its development program.
The officials claimed that the Shiv Sena leader was arrested on Sunday after over six hours of questioning at the ED’s zonal office in south Mumbai’s Ballard Estate. He was taken into custody at 12:05 am on Monday under the PMLA as he was not co-operating with the probe agency in investigation.
The probe agency seized Rs. 11.50 lakh unaccounted cash during raid from the Mumbai residence of Sanjay Raut in a land scam case. The ED investigators reached his house at around 7 am on Sunday and conducted searches.
Soon after the ED officials detained him in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case, Sanjay Raut came out of his residence and waved to his supporters who had gathered outside his house. He said that, ‘he won’t be cowed down’.
Raut told media persons, “False charges and documents are being framed against people. All of this is being done to weaken Shiv Sena and Maharashtra. Sanjay Raut won’t be cowed down. I will not leave the party”. On June 28 he was summoned by the law enforcement agency in connection with the prevention of the money laundering case pertaining to the Rs. 1,034 crore Patra Chawl land scam.
Sanjay Raut had, however, refused to join the investigation in the money laundering case. He cited that the Monsoon Session of Parliament was going on. He had also dared the probe agency to arrest him. Later he reached the ED office to join the investigation.
The ED, which took Pune-based businessman Avinash Bhosal into custody earlier in connection with the DHFL-Yes Bank case, wants to interrogate Raut in this matter too. They claimed that Patra Chawl case is also linked to the DHFL case.
Report: Deepanjot Kaur (Under Training)
