Mithi River Desilting Scam: ED Launches Probe Into ₹1,100 Crore Fraud; BMC Engineers, Contractors Under Lens

Mumbai: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Mumbai has stepped into the Rs 1100 crore Mithi river cleaning scam probe.

The ED case is based on Mumbai Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Special Investigation Team (SIT) criminal case filed against three BMC engineers, five contractors, three middlemen and two company officials in the Mithi river desilting and beautification project for major financial irregularities.

The EOW SIT had arrested two middlemen Ketan Kadam and Jay Joshi for kickbacks causing wilful loss of Rs 65 crore to BMC Mithi river desilting scam after registering FIR earlier this month.

Acting on the findings of the EOW, the ED is in the process of registering an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and began parallel investigations. The federal financial intelligence agency will summon the accused BMC officials, contractors, and others for recording statements.

Earlier in March EOW SIT had recorded the statements of six civic officials directly linked to the issuance of tenders and the disposal of extracted debris by the contractors.

Mithi River is an 18.64-km long seasonal river having both residential slum pockets and industrial patches alongside, and plays the role of a natural stormwater drainage channel for Mumbai, carrying excess water during the monsoon. But, over the years, it has been used by local residents to dump garbage, sewage, and industrial waste, polluting it to a significant level.