Mithi River desilting fraud: ED searches 15 locations, including Dino Morea’s home

ED conducted searches at 15 locations in Mumbai and Kochi related to ₹65.54 crore fraud in Mithi River desilting contracts, involving actor Dino Morea.

MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out searches at 15 locations in Mumbai and Kochi in connection with the alleged irregularities in contracts for desilting the Mithi River, which resulted in a loss of ₹65.54 crore for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Mumbai, India - June 6, 2025: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted raids at over 15 locations across Mumbai and Kerala in connection with the alleged ₹65 crore Mithi River desilting scam. Among the premises searched were the residence of Bollywood actor Dino Morea at Bandra in Mumbai, India, on Friday, June 6, 2025. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The locations that were searched include the home and office of actor Dino Morea, who has been questioned twice in connection with the case; the residences of arrested intermediaries Ketan Kadam and Jay Joshi; the residence of Prashant Ramugade, a deputy chief engineer with the BMC who was also named as an accused; and the premises of Matprop Technical Services Pvt Ltd, a Kochi-based company that rented machinery and equipment for the desilting work, officials said.

The searches continued until late Friday evening, and the ED found some incriminating documents, officials said. Morea could be summoned to record his statement in a few days, officials added.

The ED has launched a money-laundering investigation in the case based on the FIR registered by the Mumbai police’s Economic Offence Wing last month. The EOW had booked 13 people in the case, including three BMC officials. Two of them—alleged intermediaries Ketan Kadam and Jay Joshi—were arrested. Joshi was granted bail by a sessions court on Thursday.

The EOW had earlier interrogated Dino Morea and his brother Santino after finding financial transactions between them and Kadam’s family. The police suspect that the transactions, which took place during the period of the alleged fraud—from 2019 to 2022—could be linked to the desilting contracts.

The Moreas and Kadams have known each other for around 25 years, according to the police. Santino Morea and Kadam’s wife, Punita, are also directors of a Mumbai-based company, UBO Ridez Private Limited, which operates Victoria-style electric carriages.

According to the EOW, the three accused BMC officials allegedly tailored the tender for the desilting contracts to benefit Matprop, resulting in the company’s monopoly over the contracts. When the BMC’s contractors approached Matprop for desilting equipment, they were directed to approach Joshi and Kadam, who, in connivance with the company, rented the machines at inflated rates, according to the EOW. Matprop’s director, Dipak Mohan, who was also booked in the case, has denied that he or his company were involved in the fraud.

The accused also allegedly fudged records to increase the amount of silt to be removed from the Mithi River to benefit the contractors and the rates that they were supposed to be paid, according to the EOW.