Woman held in Iqbal Mirchi case sent to judicial custody for 14 days

Rinku Deshpande, 44, the Bengaluru-based woman, arrested for her alleged role in the deal of three controversial properties in a money laundering case involving

Rinku Deshpande, 44, the Bengaluru-based woman, arrested for her alleged role in the deal of three controversial properties in a money laundering case involving the late gangster Iqbal Mirchi, was remanded in judicial custody for 14 days on Friday.

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Deshpande was arrested on Tuesday evening and produced before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on Wednesday, which remanded her in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody for two days. The ED, investigating the property dealings of Mirchi — an aide of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim — in the money-laundering case, did not seek her further custody. “Deshpande’s custodial interrogation is over,” said Gaurav Parkar, her counsel.

The ED has been scanning deals of three properties – Sea View, Marium Lodge and Rabia Mansion in Worli – which were purchased by Mirchi from Sir Mohammad Yusuf Trust in 1986. In 2010, M/s Sunblink Real Estate Pvt Ltd entered into an agreement with the trust for the surrender of tenancy rights to Sunblink for ₹225 crore.

To siphon money, Deshpande received criminal proceeds and assisted Mirchi in acquisition and laundering of proceeds of crime received by the late gangster from Sunblink. She was allegedly introduced as fake confirming party and received an amount of ₹30.40 crore in her accounts, which was allegedly distributed among the brokers, including Deshpande.