Mumbai, Feb 09: The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) Mumbai Zonal Office has provisionally attached three immovable properties worth approximately Rs 17.74 crore in Navi Mumbai in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the illegal acquisition and monetisation of government forest land, officials said on Monday.
Attachment under PMLA
The attachment was carried out on February 4 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, covering land parcels located in Uran and Ulwe allegedly owned by J. M. Mhatre and his wife. The case pertains to the alleged illegal acquisition of forest land, its subsequent transfer to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and the wrongful claim of compensation by Mhatre.
Details of disputed forest land
According to the ED, the case centres on large tracts of land bearing Survey Nos. 427/1 (41.70 hectares) and 436/1 (110.60 hectares) at Mauje Vahal village in Panvel taluka of Raigad district. These lands were acquired by the Government of Maharashtra in 1975 under the Maharashtra Private Forests (Acquisition) Act, following which ownership was officially recorded in the name of the state forest department.
However, the investigation revealed that the 7/12 land records were subsequently tampered with, replacing the forest department’s name with that of the accused. Officials said portions of the land were later illegally transferred to NHAI, enabling the accused to claim compensation amounting to Rs 42.4 crore, despite having no legal title over the property.
Alleged laundering of proceeds
The ED said the proceeds were allegedly laundered through multiple channels, including the purchase of new immovable assets, repayment of loans, business expenses of group companies such as JMMIPL and JMM Homes, and transfers to family members.
Earlier searches and attachments
Earlier, the agency had conducted search operations at multiple locations in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai on June 17, 2025, leading to the seizure of unaccounted cash amounting to Rs 16.5 lakh. During the searches, eight freezing orders were issued on bank accounts and fixed deposits totalling Rs 43.78 crore.
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On January 12, 2026, the ED had also issued a provisional attachment order attaching five immovable properties valued at Rs 7.10 crore in the same case.
“With the latest attachment, properties worth Rs 69.47 crore have so far been identified and attached, seized or frozen in the case,” an official said.
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