The Enforcement Directorate detained Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on 31st July 2022 afternoon in the Patra Chawl scam case. As the Shiv Sena leader was not responding to the investigating team properly, the ED detained him for further questioning. A heavy police force has been deployed near the ED office in Mumbai. ED had summoned the Shiv Sena leader twice in July 2022. He did not present himself before the officers citing the current parliament session. An ED team had reached Raut’s residence this morning and started questioning him and searching the house. The central agency is probing him in the Patra Chawl scam case.
The search operation by the Enforcement Directorate at Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s residence in the Bhandup area of Mumbai is in full swing. The ED reached Sanjay Raut’s house on 31st July 2022 morning as it was investigating the Rs 1034 crore Patra Chawl scam case. The agency has deployed a 10-member-team to search the rooms of the Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and his brother MLA Sunil Raut.
According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, the central agency is also probing two other close associates of Sanjay Raut. Search operations at his bungalow ‘Maitri’ started at around 7:30 in the morning. A team of ED is questioning Sanjay Raut’s family members in the bungalow one by one.
#WATCH Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut at his Mumbai residence as Enforcement Directorate conducts a raid there, in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam case pic.twitter.com/TnemlfgV1F
— ANI (@ANI) July 31, 2022
As soon as the information about the ED’s action at Sanjay Raut’s house was received, Shiv Sena workers started gathering outside his house. The workers are raising slogans against the central government and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Meanwhile, Sanjay Raut came to the balcony of the house and waved his hand looking at the crowd gathered.
Involvement of Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl case
The case pertains to Patra Chawl in the Goregaon area of Mumbai. It is a plot of land belonging to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority popularly called MHADA. There is a scam of about 1034 crores. Properties worth 9 crore rupees of Sanjay Raut and 2 crore rupees of Raut’s wife Varsha have been seized in the case.
It is alleged that real estate businessman Pravin Raut cheated people living in Patra Chawl. A construction company had got the job of constructing 3000 flats on this plot. Of these, 672 flats were to be given to those living here. The rest were to be given to MHADA, but in 2011, parts of this big plot were sold to other builders. Till now, the original residents of the chawl have not received the flats.
The PMC Bank scam that surfaced in Maharashtra in 2020 was under investigation when the name of Pravin Raut’s construction company came up. It was then found that a loan of Rs 55 lakh was given to Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut from the bank account of the builder’s wife. The ED team is investigating why this transaction was done. It is alleged that Sanjay Raut had purchased a flat in Dadar with the same money. ED has now sealed that flat. Pravin Raut is a former director of Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited.
Marathi film producer Swapna Patkar, who has accused Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl case, will be given protection by the Mumbai Police. Swapna Patkar alleged that she has received the letter, pressurizing her to withdraw her statement against Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl case. The police can also file an FIR in this case.
Sanjay Raut was interrogated for 10 hours by the central agency on July 1 this year. He was asked to appear before ED on July 20 but he gave it a miss. A new summon was issued on July 27 but the Sena leader missed it too. This compelled the central agency to land at his residence directly.
