ED Arrests Sanjay Raut Over a Property Scam
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday 1st August in a money laundering case related to Patra Chawl in Mumbai.
Maharashtra has been in a lot of coverage over the last few months after the Shiv Sena was divided into two parts, and Uddhav Thackeray had to resign as the chief minister. However, after the resignation of Uddhav Thackeray, Eknath Shinde took oath as the next chief minister sharing his powers with the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy Chief Minister. Now latest of all the updates, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday 1st August in a money laundering case related to Patra Chawl in Mumbai. He was arrested at around 12:05 am midnight today under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the land scam case. Moreover, he will be produced before a special PMLA court in Mumbai later on the same day, where the Enforcement Directorate will demand his custody.The ED’s allegations claimed financial irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra Chawl and related financial property transactions involving Sanjay Raut and his wife Varsha Raut. Earlier in April this year, the ED attached assets worth over Rs 11.15 crore belonging to Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut, and two of his associates as part of an investigation related to the Patra Chawl.
Siddharth Nagar is located in Goregaon, North Mumbai. It is popularly known as Patra Chawl. There are 672 houses in an area spread across 47 acres. In 2008, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) started the redevelopment project and awarded the contract to shift 672 tenants and redevelop the area to Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd (GACPL). As per the agreement, GACPL was to give flats to 672 tenants of Patra Chawl, 3,000 flats to the MHADA, and sell the rest to private developers. However, the ED report claims that Sanjay Raut’s close aide Praveen Raut and other directors of GACPL misled MHADA and earned Rs 901.79 crore by selling different floors to 9 different private developers. They neither gave flats to 672 tenants nor built any flats for MHADA. The ED Claimed that the money earned by misleading the MHADA was later used in purchasing various properties.
Before he was arrested, the ED team had on Sunday reached his residence in Mumbai's Bhandup area, where they conducted a search, questioned Raut, and by evening, summoned him after questioning at the agency's local office. The officials said the team also seized Rs 11.5 lakh in cash during the search. Before entering the ED office, Sanjay Raut told the media that the agency's action was aimed at trying to weaken the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra and that a "false" case was prepared against him. What do you think about this? Do you think this is a targeted attack planted against the Shiv Sena and Sanjay Raut by the BJP? Do mention your thoughts in the comment section below.
