Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Eknath Khadse on Friday morning joined the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s probe into a Pune land deal after missing questioning in the case earlier because of health reasons. ED officials have sought to question Khadse over alleged money laundering in the three-acre land deal.
The ED’s probe is based on a First Information Report filed by the state Anti-Corruption Bureau in April 2017 against Khadse, who quit the Bharatiya Janata Party to join NCP last year, his wife, Mandakini, and son-in-law, Girish Choudhary.
Pune businessman Hemant Gawande filed a complaint accusing Khadse of defrauding the public exchequer in the deal.
Khadse allegedly purchased the land in his wife and son-in-law’s names for Rs3.75 crore, much lower than its estimated market price of Rs40 crore.
The Income Tax Department and a state government-appointed commission have also inquired into the deal. “That time also, we had submitted the documents. The land was bought by my wife and son-in-law, not by me. The land was purchased as per the prevailing ready reckoner rate, therefore, there was nothing to hide there. I am ready to cooperate with ED and provide the documents as well,” said Khadse earlier.