Mumbai: ED records statement of witness Swapna Patkar in Patra Chawl case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday issued a summons to Swapna Patkar, a witness in the Rs 1,034 crore Patra Chawl money laundering case, to join the investigation. Patkar had previously been enquired about by the agency on multiple occasions. She reached the ED office around 3:30 pm and her statement was recorded till 7:30 pm.

On August 1, the agency arrested Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in the said case. In that matter, Raut is in judicial custody till September 05. ED had also previously recorded statements from Raut's wife, Varsha Raut.

After the initial hearing in the court, Raut’s judicial custody ended on August 22, but on Monday a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court extended his custody till September 5.

Raut had been previously summoned by the ED on multiple occasions in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam.

In February, the ED arrested Pravin Raut, former director of Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, under the provisions of PMLA. M/s Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd was allegedly involved in the redevelopment of Patra Chawl. Patra Chawl had 672 tenants in tenements on 47 acres of land belonging to the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA).

The ED had initiated an investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by Mumbai Police's EOW against M/s Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan and Sarang Kumar Wadhawan in connection with alleged irregularities in the redevelopment project.

In April this year, the ED had provisionally attached immovable properties totaling Rs 11.15 crore under the provisions of PMLA in the case.

The attached assets included lands owned by Pravin Raut, former director of GACPL, in Palghar, Saphale, and Padga; a flat in Dadar owned by Varsha Raut; and plots in Kihim Beach, Alibaug, owned jointly by Varsha Raut and Swapna Patkar.

Published on: Tuesday, August 23, 2022, 09:50 PM IST