ED remand of Ekanth Khadse’s son-in-law extended till July 19

A special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court on Thursday extended Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody of Girish Chaudhari, son-in-law of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Eknath Khadse, till July 19

A special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court on Thursday extended Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody of Girish Chaudhari, son-in-law of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Eknath Khadse, till July 19. Chaudhari has been arrested by the central agency in the money laundering case registered by it in connection with the Bhosari land deal.

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ED had, on Thursday, produced Chaudhari before the special court as his earlier custody remand ended, and sought six days’ extension of his custody.

The agency on August 28, 2019 booked Khadse, his wife Mandakini, Chaudhari and the owner of the land in Bhosari, Abbas Rasulbhai Ukani, in a money laundering case. ED’s case information report is based on a first information report (FIR) registered by Maharashtra anti-corruption bureau (ACB) against the Khadse family in 2017. ACB had later closed the case, but ED continued its investigation into the alleged financial irregularities in the land deal.

The case pertains to the purchase of a 1.31-hectare plot at Bhosari village in Haveli taluka of Pune district on April 28, 2016 by Chaudhari and Mandakini for ₹3.75 crore against the market value of ₹31 crore. ACB had alleged that Khadse and the other two had caused loss of ₹61.25 crore to the state exchequer by dealing with the land.

In its remand application seeking extension in Chaudhari’s custody, ED stated that the piece of land was acquired by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in 1971, which then developed and allotted it for different industries.

ED further added that in his statement given to the agency, Avinash Hadgal, regional officer of MIDC, stated that, “The notification under 32(1) of MIDC Act is already issued on November 11, 1971 in respect of the said land and the said land vests with MIDC. That the land is already in possession of MIDC and further allotted to 14 plot holders and one open space.”

“Chaudhari and Mandakini Khadse have wrongly purchased the land from Ukani which rightly belonged to MIDC by way of acquisition; that Chaudhari and Mandakini are not entitled to hold the subject land and hence, the sale is void,” read ED’s application.

It was further alleged that Chaudhari had purchased the land after securing finance of ₹2 crore from a company named Benchmark Buildcon Private Limited. ED recorded statement of Benchmark Buildcon’s former director Manjunath Omkar on Tuesday. In his statement, Omkar said he was offered ₹15,000 salary per month for becoming the director, and he has never seen any work being carried by Benchmark Buildcon and that it was just a paper company.

“The source of funds for purchase the said land is not genuine and it has been routed through various companies. These companies which are used by Chaudhari to channel funds for the purchase of the said land are nothing but shell companies used for layering of funds,” ED said.