E-Paper
Sanjay Raut taken to ED office, he says evidence is false
Raut was questioned at his Bhandup residence for at least eight hours over alleged irregularities in the re-development of Mumbai’s Patra Chawl and related transactions involving his wife and others
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday conducted a search at Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut’s house and later took him to the central agency’s office in south Mumbai for questioning in a money laundering probe, even as the Sena leader from the Uddhav Thackeray camp said he was being framed on the basis of false evidence.
Raut was questioned at his Bhandup residence for at least eight hours over alleged irregularities in the re-development of Mumbai’s Patra Chawl and related transactions involving his wife and others.
ED searched Raut’s house and seized ₹11.50 lakh unaccounted cash, an official of the agency said, asking not to be named. Sunday’s action came after the Sena leader skipped summons twice for questioning in the money-laundering case. He was summoned by the agency on July 27 after he skipped an earlier summons, citing the ongoing Parliament session in the national capital.
The Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP said he was being framed based on “false evidence” but that he won’t bow down and quit the party, shortly before being taken to the Mumbai office of ED. “They (ED) are going to arrest me. I am going to be arrested,” he told reporters outside the ED office.
“False action, false evidence. I will die, but will not surrender. I will never leave Shiv Sena. I swear by Balasaheb Thackeray that I am not involved in any scam. He taught us to fight and I will continue to fight for Shiv Sena,” the Sena leader tweeted earlier. He said the ED action was aimed at weakening the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra.
Officials of ED, accompanied by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, reached Raut’s house at 7am on Sunday to begin their search. Hundreds of Shiv Sena supporters gathered outside Raut’s residence soon after the ED action began and shouted slogans.
About 200 police personnel were deployed around Raut’s residence on Sunday.
“The agency asked us to bring certain documents so we require some time to collect the documents; we requested the agency to give at least two weeks’ time,” Raut’s lawyer had said on July 27.
ED’s case is based on a first information report (FIR) registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police in 2018 against Rakesh and Sarang Wadhawan, promoters of the real estate company Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of HDIL that undertook the redevelopment of Patra Chawl in Goregaon and its director Pravin Raut among others.
The agency said that its probe has so far found that around ₹100 crore was transferred from HDIL to the account of Pravin Raut, who was arrested in the case on February 2. This amount was further “diverted” by Pravin Raut, a close associate of the Sena MP, to various accounts of his associates, family members and business entities etc, ED said.
“In 2010, part of the proceeds of crime, ₹83 lakh, was received by Varsha Raut, wife of Sanjay Raut, directly/indirectly from Madhuri Raut, wife of Pravin Raut,” ED said in a statement earlier. “This amount was utilised by Varsha Raut for purchase of flat at Dadar East,” it said.
As part of its probe, in April, ED attached properties worth ₹11.15 crore belonging to Varsha Raut, including the flat in Dadar and plots in Kihim, an official said.
Before going with ED officials to the agency’s office on Sunday, Raut came down at the gate of his home, waved at his supporters and displayed a saffron scarf.
While on his way to the ED office in a vehicle, Raut stood up and once again waved at his supporters.
His younger brother Sunil Raut, an MLA, was seen arguing with police over the ED action.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray alleged that the agency’s action against Raut was part of a “conspiracy” to finish off the party. “He may get arrested. What conspiracy is this? Shiv Sena gives strength to Hindus and Marathi people and hence there is a conspiracy to finish off the party,” he said.
Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde said if Raut was innocent, he should not be afraid of the ED action against him.
“Raut has declared that he has not done anything wrong. If that is so, why fear a probe? Let it happen. Why fear if you are innocent?” he told reporters in Aurangabad.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Maharashtra also said that Raut should not be afraid of the ED action if he has not done anything wrong.
Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly, Ajit Pawar, said he wondered why ED repeatedly wants to investigate Raut, though many people had been served notices by the Income Tax department, CBI, and ED.
Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said the ED action depicts a “sorry picture” of democracy and alleged that the BJP wants to “silence” all opposition parties.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule said this issue will be raised in Parliament.
With PTI inputs
