Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut (Express file photo by Anil Sharma) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 11.15 crore of three people, including Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a case relating to irregularities in the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl project in Mumbai by a subsidiary of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL).
The other individuals whose assets have been provisionally attached are businessman Pravin Raut and Swapna Patkar, wife of Sujit Patkar who is a close associate of Sanjay Raut.
In a statement, the ED said, “The attached assets are in form of lands held by Pravin M Raut, former director of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, Mumbai at Palghar, a flat at Dadar of Varsha Raut and plots at Kihim beach at Alibaug jointly held by Varsha Raut wife of Shri Sanjay Raut and Swapna Patkar, wife of Shri Sujit Patkar.”
The central agency had arrested Pravin Raut on February 4 under the PMLA. It had found that Pravin received Rs 100 crore from HDIL and “diverted” it to various accounts of “his close associates, family member, his business entities” including the family of Sanjay Raut.
The ED said its probe into the irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra chawl has found that a tripartite agreement was signed between the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) and Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, a subsidiary of Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL). As per the agreement, Guruashish was to provide flats to 672 tenants of the chawl, develop flats for MHADA and then sell the remaining area to private developers.
असत्यमेव जयते!!
— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) April 5, 2022
However, the directors of Guru Ashish Constructions, including Pravin Raut, misled MHADA and managed to sell the floor space index (FSI) to nine developers and collected Rs 901.79 crore without constructing the rehab portion for 672 displaced tenants or the MHADA portion, said the ED.
“Further, Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd has also launched one project namely Meadows and took the booking of amount (of) around Rs 138 crore from flat buyers. The total proceeds of the crime generated by directors of Guru Ashish Constructions Pvt Ltd through the illegal activities was approximately Rs 1,039.79 crore,” said the ED statement.
The ED has alleged that in 2010, a part of the proceeds of crime of Rs 83 lakh was transferred to Varsha Raut from Madhuri Raut, wife of Pravin Raut. “This amount was utilized by Varsha Raut for purchase of flat at Dadar. It is also revealed that after initiation of ED investigation, the amount of Rs 55 lakh was transferred by Varsha Raut to Madhuri Raut,” the agency said.
The ED added that at least eight plots of land at Kihim beach at Alibaug in Maharashtra were purchased in the name of Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar in 2010. These properties too have been provisionally attached, it said.
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