ED raids Congress leader Baba Siddique’s house in Mumbai in money laundering case

Mumbai city news: ED has also registered a criminal case against Congress’ Baba Siddique under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)

The enforcement directorate (ED) conducted searches at various locations of Congress leader Baba Siddique and others in connection with the alleged slum rehabilitation authority (SRA) scam.

Baba Siddique (centre) with Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan (right) and Salman Khan (left). (IANS File Photo)

Searches have been conducted at five locations.

The ED authorities feel the money earned from this scam could have been used for business purposes.

ED officials outside Baba Siddque’s home in Mumbai.

Congress termed the raids “nothing but vendetta politics”. “A case was filed against Siddique and 157 others. The state police and ED found nothing. This is clearly Vendetta politics,” said state Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant on Twitter.

The ED’s action is pertaining to an FIR registered in 2014 in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the redevelopment of a slum in suburban Bandra.

Who is Baba Siddique?

Baba Ziauddin Siddique is a Congress leader and three-term MLA from Bandra West constituency. He was also minister of state for food and civil supplies as well as the chairman of Mumbai division of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority.

Baba who started as a student leader was first elected to Mumbai civic body as a corporator. Later, he was elected to the Maharashtra Assembly from Bandra constituency in 1999, 2004 and 2009. He was defeated by Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar in 2014 Assembly elections.

Baba was close to the late Sunil Dutt and owed his rise in politics to the actor-turned-politician. He was also close to the Dutt family, but fell out with Dutt’s daughter and former Congress MP, Priya Dutt, sometime ago. A builder, Baba, was often accused of protecting illegal slums and hawkers in Bandra.

He was also in the news for bringing together Bollywood’s major stars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan together for his Iftar parties.