Shiv Sena’s motormouth leader Sanjay Raut was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 31 for his alleged links with the Patra Chawl property scam case. On August 4, a special court in Mumbai extended his ED custody till August 8.
As per reports, judge MG Deshpande stated that ED has made remarkable progress in the investigation. The court also rejected an intervention petition filed by witness Swapna Patakar, who had accused that Raut was threatening him.
Raut’s brother Praveen has also been arrested in the case. The ED has also attached the properties of Varsha Raut, Sanjay Raut’s wife.
The ED is investigating violations under PMLA in the Patra Chawl scam case. Patra Chawl was developed by Guru Ashish Constructions Ltd, a subsidiary of Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited. Guru Ashish Constructions Ltd, in an agreement with MHADA, had taken a project to develop 672 flats for Patra Chawl tenants, flats for MHADA and sell the remaining land to private developers.
ED has alleged that the company sold the FSI to private developers for over 900 crores, without constructing flats for the Patra Chawl tenants or the MHADA. Praveen Raut is accused of receiving over 100 crores from the scam and diverting the funds among family members of Sanjay Raut. The ED states that Sanjay Raut and his wife had received over 1.06 crores from the proceeds of the crime in their bank account.
Sanjay Raut complains of ‘windowless room’
As per reports, when Raut was presented in court on August 4, he complained that the ED kept him in a ‘windowless room’ that has no ventilation. The judge then asked ED why they had kept Raut in a windowless room. As per reports, the ED replied that the room is ‘windowless’ because it has air conditioning.
Sanjay Raut reportedly stated that he cannot use the AC because of his health conditions. Following this, the court has asked the ED to keep Raut in a room that has proper ventilation.
