New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Sunday detained Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case in Mumbai after day-long raids at his residence.
At 7 am, the probe agency team, accompanied by CISF officials, reached Mr Raut’s home in Bandup in eastern suburbs of Mumbai and began the searches.
On June 28 this year, Sanjay Raut was summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the prevention of the money laundering case pertaining to the Rs 1,034 crore Patra Chawl land scam.
Refusing to join the probe and citing the Monsoon Session of Parliament as a reason for not joining the probe, he had then dared the probe agency to arrest him. Later, he reached the ED office.
The ED, which took Pune-based businessman Avinash Bhosale into custody earlier in connection with the DHFL-Yes Bank case, wants to grill Raut in this matter too, as per sources. They claimed that Patra Chawl case of ED is also linked to the DHFL case.
Raut, who is in the Uddhav Thackeray camp, has denied any wrongdoing and alleged that he is being targeted due to political vendetta.
“…False action, false evidence…I will not leave Shiv Sena…Even if I die, I will not surrender…I have nothing to do with any scam. I am saying this by taking the oath of Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray. Balasaheb taught us to fight. I will continue to fight for Shiv Sena,” Raut tweeted shortly after probe agency officials’ visit to his home.
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray termed the raid carried out by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at Raut’s house as a ”shameless conspiracy and blatant muzzling of voices”.
“Sanjay Raut may be arrested today. This conspiracy is shameless. This is blatant muzzling of voices,” Uddhav Thackeray said.
Party MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also condemned the BJP government for its “shameful attempt to use central agencies to harass the opposition leaders.”