Mumbai: I-T dept searches premises of Shiv Sena corporator Yashwant Jadhav

The Income Tax department on Friday began conducting searches on premises linked to Shiv Sena corporator and the chairman of the standing committee of the BMC Yashwant Jadhav.

Jadhav's wife Yamini is a Shiv-Sena MLA. The move is considered to be politically significant, since the BMC elections are due in April, this year.

According to agency sources, the search operations began early morning on Friday at Mazgaon and the I-T officials were accompanied by the CRPF officials to provide them protection.

The I-T officials were scrutinising certain documents and bank account details during the search, but did not specify the charges under which the searches were being done.

The agency sources claimed that at least 30 premises in and around Mumbai were being searched by the I-T sleuths, of which at least three to five premises were of some civic contractors, including one at Walkeshwar.

When asked if the I-T officials are probing the BMC and contractor nexus, an official said, "We conduct our searches on tax evasions matters."

While the I-T searches were being conducted, Mumbai Mayor, Kishori Pednekar visited Jadhav's residence on Friday. "The whole of Mumbai and Maharashtra is watching. Let these people do whatever they want in order to win polls, we believe in the constitution, law & order. Let the truth come out & enquiry happen. I came here to see no 'Shiv Sainik' does anything inappropriate," Pednekar said.

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader had accused Jadhav of involvement in money laundering to park money obtained from alleged scams and had claimed involvement of some Kolkata-based shell companies.

Maha-Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders, on the other hand, had accused the BJP of 'misusing' central investigation agencies against them.

On Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate had arrested NCP minister Nawab Malik in connection with a money laundering case, which the federal agency had registered after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered a criminal offence against underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his aides.

Shiv Sena leaders who are currently facing probe from the ED are Anandrao Adsul, Pratap Sarnaik, Varsha Raut, Anil Parab and Bhavana Gawali.

When FPJ tried to contact Jadhav and his wife Yamini Jadhav, the Sena MLA from Byculla assembly constituency, there was no immediate response from them.

Published on: Friday, February 25, 2022, 11:29 PM IST