MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday seized properties worth Rs 6.45 crore owned by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's brother-in-law in connection with a 2017 money-laundering case.
According to ED, they attached the immovable properties of Shreedhar Patankar as these were part of M/s Pushpak Bullion, one of the Group companies of Pushpak Group.
Earlier, ED had registered a money-laundering case against Pushpak Bullion and a group of companies on March 6, 2017 under the PMLA Act 2002.
"The attached properties include residential flats in Neelambari project, Thane, belonging to Saibaba Grihanirmiti Pvt Ltd. These properties are owned and controlled by Shreedhar Patankar," reads the ED note.
The ED had previously attached Pushpak Bullion properties worth Rs 21.46 crore belonging to Mahesh Patel, Chandrakant Patel and their family members and companies. The ED probe revealed that Mahesh Patel had siphoned off funds of a Pushpak group concern M/s Pushpak Realty in connivance with Nandkishore Chaturvedi (Accommodation Entry provider).
"M/s Pushpak Realty Developer, in the garb of sale, transferred funds to the tune of Rs 20.02 crore to the entities controlled by Nandkishore Chaturvedi after layering it through various connected/ unconnected entities. Nandkishore Chaturvedi who operates a number of shell companies further transferred the money through his shell company M/s Humsafar Dealer Private Limited in the garb of extending unsecured loans in excess of Rs 30 crore to M/s Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiri Pvt. Ltd. Thus, the money siphoned off by Mahesh Patel in connivance with Nandkishore Chaturvedi was parked in the real-estate projects by Shree Saibaba Grihnirmiti Pvt Ltd," the ED note stated.
Shiv Sena Sanjay Raut claimed the agencies are being pressurised to take action against Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders in a bid to topple Uddhav Thackeray's government. He alleged that the ED is active only in non-BJP ruled states.
"There is little hope of justice from the judiciary. The judiciary is also pressurised by the BJP. The laws are misused. During the UPA regime, ED records show they took actions in 23 cases while in the BJP rule, ED is super active and actions were taken in 2500 cases. We will go to the public against the misuse of agencies," Raut said.
Meanwhile, Nitesh Rane, BJP MLA, demanded the resignation of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray. He said Thackeray should take moral responsibility and resign now.