MUMBAI, 31 JULY, 2022 (GPN): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Sunday detained Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut after it conducted search and questioning at his residence in Bhandup (East). The Shiv Sena leader had skipped summons twice for questioning in a money-laundering case.

At 7 am today, the ED sleuths, accompanied by CISF officials, reached Mr Raut’s home in Bhandup in eastern suburbs of Mumbai and began the searches.

Mr Raut (60), who is in the Uddhav Thackeray camp, has denied any wrongdoing and alleged that he is being targeted due to political vendetta.

“The ED issued fresh summons to Sanjay Raut today morning. On that basis, Sanjay Raut has come to the ED office to record the statement. He has neither been arrested nor been detained,” the Sena MP’s lawyer Vikrant Sabne told GPN news.They (ED) already took documents that they felt were important. Some property documents were seized. But, no documents related to Patra Chawl were taken by them,” Sabne said.

Earlier today, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had said that ED may arrest Raut, and alleged that the agency’s ongoing action was part of a “conspiracy” to finish off the party.

खोटी कारवाई..
खोटे पुरावे
मी शिवसेना सोडणार नाही..
मरेन पण शरण जाणार नाही
जय महाराष्ट्र

— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) July 31, 2022

शिवसेना झिंदाबाद!!!
लढत राहीन..

— Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) July 31, 2022

“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,” Mr Raut tweeted shortly after probe agency officials’ visit to his home.

The BJP hit back at the Sena leader for skipping the summons. “Why is he scared of Enforcement Directorate if he is innocent? He has all the time to give press conference but no time to visit probe agency office for questioning,” said BJP MLA Ram Kadam.

The agency wants to question Sanjay Raut to know about his “business and other links” with his close associates Pravin Raut and Sujit Patkar and also about the property deals involving his wife.

Pravin Raut was arrested in a probe linked to a ₹ 1,034-crore alleged land scam related to the re-development of the Patra chawl in Goregaon area. He is currently in judicial custody.

Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited was involved in the re-development of the “chawl”, which had 672 tenants living in tenements on 47 acres belonging to the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA), the ED had said earlier.

On 1st July the Shiv Sena MP was questioned for about 10 hours, during which his statement was recorded under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

In April, the Enforcement Directorate attached assets worth over ₹ 11.15 crore of Mr Raut’s wife Varsha Raut and two of his associates as part of its probe.

The properties include a flat in Dadar held by Varsha Raut and eight plots at the Kihim beach in Alibaug jointly held by Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar, the wife of Sujit Patkar, a “close associate” of Sanjay Raut.