ED raids multiple premises linked to Shiv Sena minister Anil Parab in Maharashtra

MUMBAI: Just before the announcement of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the premises of senior Shiv Sena minister Anil Parab in a money laundering case along with others in Mumbai, Pune and Ratnagiri districts of Maharashtra on Thursday morning.
Parab was present at his official bungalow in Marine Drive during the search and the ED officials were recording his statement.
It is stated that the ED registered a fresh money laundering case and investigated Anil Parab’s role in it. Parab is a key person handling his party’s election strategy for the upcoming civic election in Mumbai. Parab is the state transport minister and a strong supporter of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
For a long, Parab was the target of his rival the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which alleged that he was involved in corrupt practice.
The BJP leaders had complained to various central government agencies demanding action against Parab. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya had alleged that Parab had constructed a resort at Dapoli in Ratnagiri district after violating Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules.
Earlier Parab had said that he had sold the land to Kadam some time ago where the resort was constructed that time and again people associate him with the resort. Parab had filed a defamation suit in the high court against those dragging his name into controversy with 'ulterior motives'.
A few months ago, the income-tax (I-T Investigation) wing had investigated Parab and they found evidence that Rs 6 crore unaccounted cash was spent on the construction of the resort at Dapoli. Parab along with his long-time business partner Sadanand Kadam had constructed the resort.
During the investigation, the I-T found that Parab purchased a parcel of land at Dapoli in 2017 for Rs 1 crore and completed the registration formalities in 2019. The land was subsequently sold to Sadanand Kadam in 2020 for Rs 1.1 crore. During this period they had constructed the resort on the land.
Last year, the ED investigated Parab in former home minister Anil Deshmukh's case after dismissed police officer Sachin Waze claimed that they had collected money from police officers for favourable postings.
The ED had recorded his statement last September but didn’t find any substantial evidence against him. Watch Money laundering case: ED raids multiple premises linked to minister Anil Parab in Maharashtra