ED quizzes Sena leader Anil Parab for nearly 11 hours

Maharashtra transport minister and Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab on Tuesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to record his statement in connection with a money laundering case. He was grilled for nearly 11 hours, after reaching the agency's Ballard Estate office at around 11.20 am.

According to the ED officials, enquiries were made with Parab with regards to the monetary dealing and alleged violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms related to the construction and sale of a resort in Ratnagiri’s Dapoli.

On Monday, the ED issued summons for the second time to Parab, asking him to record his statement on Tuesday. The first summons were issued on June 14, however, the minister skipped it back then.

On May 30, the ED had made enquiries with a person in connection with the same case. Last month, the ED officials had carried out searches at Mumbai, Pune and Dapoli, including premises linked to Parab and others.

In March this year, the Income Tax (I-T) department, during a search, had found evidence, revealing that more than Rs 6 crore were spent on the construction of a prominent politician’s resort at Dapoli in Ratnagiri district. The agency officials claimed that the said money was not accounted for in the books of account. As a result of the search action, cash of Rs 66 lakh was seized.

According to the I-T officials, it was found that a parcel of land at Dapoli was purchased by Parab in 2017 for Rs 1 crore but it was registered in 2019. This land was subsequently sold to a Mumbai-based cable operator in 2020 for Rs 1.10 crore.

Published on: Tuesday, June 21, 2022, 11:23 PM IST