On Tuesday, ED provisionally attached immovable properties belonging to Shridhar Madhav Patankar brother-in-law of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) joined immovable properties worth ₹6.45 crore in the case of Pushpak Bullion Private Limited, one of the group companies of Pushpak Group, as per the reports. It incorporates 11 residential flats in the Neelambari project, Thane is owned by Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Private Limited owned and controlled by Mr. Patankar.
The Central agency on March 6, 2017, had written down a money laundering case against Pushpak Bullion and group companies under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). It had officially joined immovable and movable properties of Pushpak Bullion to the tune of ₹21.46 crore. They belonged to Mahesh and Chandrakant Patel (director of Pushpak Bullion) and their family members.
Fund transfer in the garb of sale
The investigation has disclosed that Mr. Mahesh Patel had bled off and heaped funds of the Pushpak group concern, Pushpak Realty, in frame up with Nand-Kishore Chaturvedi. In the garb of sale of Pushpak Realty Developer, conveyed funds to the tune of ₹20.02 crore to the individuals controlled by Mr. Chaturvedi after layering it through various connected/ unconnected organizations.
Mr. Chaturvedi as per the ED worked several shell companies that are used to transfer money from Humsafar Dealer Private Limited in the garb of broadening unsecured loans of ₹30 crores to Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Private Limited.
Therefore, the ED proclaimed the money drafted off by Mr. Mahesh Patel in abetting with Mr. Nandkishore Chaturvedi was parked in the real estate projects by Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Private Limited.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut termed it an attempt to destabilize the MVA government but warned that such an attempt would yield nothing for the BJP. “Maharashtra has never bowed down to such tactics and it never will. These actions are part of the ongoing attempts to bring down the State government,” he said.
Mr. Raut pointed out that like Maharashtra, the ED is also targeting the West Bengal government. “It seems the ED has closed offices in States like Gujarat where country’s biggest scam took place,” he said.
Published by: Shivani Bhalke
Edited by: Subbuthai Padma
