ED searches 13 locations connected to 41 illegal bldgs in Vasai

The buildings were demolished by the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) earlier this year following directions from the Bombay high court

MUMBAI: The Mumbai unit of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at 13 locations in Vasai and Virar as part of its money laundering probe into the construction of 41 illegal buildings in Vasai East on a 60-acre plot earmarked for public projects. All the 13 official/ residential premises, located within VVMC’s jurisdiction, were connected with the builders who constructed the illegal structures, ED sources told Hindustan Times.

The Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) demolished the 41 unauthorised buildings within a span of 22 days earlier this year

The ED’s probe was initiated by registering an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report), which was based on multiple first information reports registered by the Mira-Bhayandar police Commissionerate in connection with the construction of the 41 illegal buildings.

During the probe, the ED learned that large-scale illegal constructions in the concerned area commenced in 2009. The 41 illegal buildings were constructed by a group of builders and their henchmen by forging a range of approval documents, preparing fake agreements and selling residential and commercial units to gullible and poor customers, the ED found.

All 41 buildings were demolished by the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) earlier this year following directions from the Bombay high court, leaving around 2,500 residents homeless. The action was taken following a Supreme Court directive which denied any relief to the residents. The buildings were constructed without necessary permissions from authorities, on a site earmarked for a public project, the court observed.

In September 2023, the Economic Offences Wing of the Mira-Bhayandar-Vasai-Virar (MBVV) police had arrested a former Vasai corporator, S Gupta, who was allegedly involved in grabbing of the 60-acre plot. Gupta’s house in Nalasopara East was among the premises searched by the ED on Wednesday.

Earlier, in June 2023, the police had booked Gupta and others for acquiring fake ownership documents for 30 acres that belonged to private owners and another 30 acres reserved for a water purification plant and dumping ground. Gupta and others were also accused of selling the 60-acre plot to various builders using forged documents. The complainant in the case was the caretaker of the privately-owned 30 acres, whose owners stay overseas.