Madhu Koda aide Anil Bastawade held in Jakarta

Anil Bastawade —who is wanted for allegedly helping former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda launder ill-gotten money— has been detained in Jakarta following an Interpol notice against him.

Anil Bastawade —who is wanted for allegedly helping former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda launder ill-gotten money— has been detained in Jakarta following an Interpol notice against him.

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Bastawade, 48, was detained two days ago after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said it wanted to quizz him in the Madhu Koda scam.

“Though the ED didn’t chargesheet him along with Koda in the case resgitered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, it wanted to grill him over certain investments made by him in Dubai and Indonesia. When the ED summoned him, he didn’t appear before it. Thereafter, on the request of the ED, a Ranchi court issued a non-bailable warrant against him. When Bastawade was spotted in Indonesia, the ED contacted the Interpol and got issued a Red Corner Notice in October,” said a source.

According to sources, Income Tax sleuths claim a person named Ajay Bafna introduced Manoj Punamia -- an alleged associate of Koda-- to Pune-resident Bastawade who had settled in Dubai. The ED suspects Bastawade to have invested around R250 crore in Dubai real estate market through Punamia.

He allegedly made some investments in Indonesia also.

A team of ED will leave for Jakarta to make its case before the Indonesian authorities for Bastawade’s deportation. CBI has not named Bastawade an accused in its case so far. But it would like to speak to him when he is brought back to India.

“CBI is the nodal agency for Interpol matters. We were informed by the Indonesian authorities about Bastawde’s detention and we, in turn, informed the ED,” said a CBI official.