The enforcement directorate (ED) officials, on Sunday, carried out searches at two premises of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh in Nagpur in connection with the money laundering case.
Two separate teams were formed to carry out searches. The searches were carried out at Deshmukh’s house in Katol town, located 60 km from Nagpur, and his ancestral home in Wadvihira village near Katol.
On Friday, the ED had provisionally attached assets worth Rs 4.20 crore of Anil Deshmukh and his family, held in the name of his wife Aarti Deshmukh and a company Premier Port Links Private Limited, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The assets were in the form of one residential flat valued at Rs 1.54 crore located at Worli and 25 land parcels of Rs 2.67 crore located in Dhutum village, Uran. The same day, Deshmukh’s a legal representative submitted documents sought by the agency in connection with the case. “Investigations under PMLA revealed that Deshmukh, while acting as the state Home minister, received illegal gratification of Rs 4.70 crore in cash from various bar owners, through then assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze. Further, Deshmukh’s family illegally obtained Rs 4.18 crore and projected it as untainted money by showing the amount was received in the name of a trust,” the ED said.
“It revealed that the flat located in Worli, which is owned by Deshmukh, is registered in the name of his wife Aarti. The entire payment was made through cash in 2004. However, the sale deed was done in February 2020 when Deshmukh was home minister. Deshmukh’s family acquired 50% ownership in M/s Premier Port Links Pvt. Ltd, including its assets, by merely paying Rs 17.95 lakh,” the agency said.
