The deputy municipal commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Sangeeta Hasnale on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to record her statement in connection with the agency's money laundering probe related to alleged irregularities in the distribution of Khichdi among migrant workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hasnale arrived at the ED office at around 11 am and left the building at 8 pm after recording her statement. The ED had earlier asked Hasnale to appear before its team on October 26, but the civic official had sought an exemption citing official work after which she was asked to join the probe on Monday.
Last week, the ED had conducted searches at seven locations, including the premises of Hasnale, Shiv Sena (UBT) party leader Suraj Chavan, and private contractors in connection with the Rs 6.37 crore COVID-19 khichdi scam. The khichdi scam is about the illegal bagging of a contract by the accused for preparing khichdi for migrant labourers during the pandemic.
In September, the Economic Offence wing (EOW) of Mumbai police began investigating the case and later the ED has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut's close aide Sujit Patkar and six others in the multi-crore Khichdi scam.
Sujit Patkar, is currently in judicial custody as part of an ongoing investigation into the Covid-19 jumbo centers scam. He was arrested in July this year by the ED in connection with a money laundering case.
