The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out searches at fifteen locations in the Mithi River Desilting case, including at actor Dino Morea's residence in Mumbai.
The fraud is alleged to have caused a ₹65 crore loss to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The raids targeted more than 15 premises in Mumbai and Kochi, including Dino Morea and his brother's residences, and the premises of contractors and middlemen. The investigation is being conducted under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The Mumbai Police's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) recently questioned Dino Morea about the case. The EOW registered a case against 13 persons, including civic officials and contractors, for their alleged involvement in the scam.
The Mithi River desilting case involving Dino Morea
The ED case against certain BMC officials and some others stems from an EOW FIR filed to probe alleged irregularities in the desilting of the Mithi river, which is alleged to have caused the civic body a ₹65 crore loss.
The accused allegedly conspired to defraud the BMC by causing irregularities in the desilting, transportation, and dumping of sludge from the Mithi River between 2021 and 2023.
{{/usCountry}}The accused allegedly conspired to defraud the BMC by causing irregularities in the desilting, transportation, and dumping of sludge from the Mithi River between 2021 and 2023.
{{/usCountry}}The river flows through the city and drains into the Arabian Sea. It is alleged that tenders for renting specialised dredging equipment were manipulated to favour certain suppliers.
The SIT is currently examining an extensive ₹1,100 crore expenditure made on the Mithi river desilting project between 2005 and 2021 to identify broader financial irregularities.
The case is part of a larger probe into alleged financial mismanagement and corruption linked to one of Mumbai’s most critical flood-prevention infrastructure projects.