Money laundering case: ED attaches Anil Deshmukh’s properties worth Rs 4.2 crore

Pune/Mumbai: The Directorate of Enforcement has provisionally attached assets worth rupee 4.20 Crore of Anil Deshmukh and his family, held in the name of his wife Aarti Deshmukh and company Premier Port Links Private Limited under PMLA, an official release said on Friday.

The attached assets are in the form of one residential flat valued at 1.54 Crore, located at Worli, Mumbai and 25 land parcels of book value ? 2.67 Crore, located at Dhutum village in Uran, Raigarh District of Maharashtra.

The ED initiated a money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR under Section 120-B of IPC, 1860 and section 7 of PC Act 1988 registered by CBI, New Delhi against Anil Deshmukh and others for attempting to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of their public duty for collection of funds to achieve the target of Rs 100 Crore per month from various bars, restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai.

Investigation under PMLA revealed that Anil Deshmukh while acting as Home Minister of the state of Maharashtra, with dishonest intention has received illegal gratification of approximately ? 4.70 Crore in cash from various orchestra bar owners, through Sachin Waze, then Assistant Police Inspector of Mumbai Police.

Further, with the help of Delhi based dummy companies, the Deshmukh family laundered the tainted money worth ? 4.18 Crore and projected it as untainted by showing the same as amount received by the Shri Sai Shikshan Sanstha Trust.

Investigations further revealed that flat located at Worli, Mumbai which is owned by Anil Deshmukh is registered in the name of his wife Aarti Deshmukh and found that entire payment was made in cash in 2004, however, sale deed was done in month of February 2020 when Anil Deshmukh was Home Minister of State of Maharashtra. Further Deshmukh family has acquired the 50% ownership in M/s Premier Port Links Pvt. Ltd. including its assets i.e. Land & shops valued at approximately ? 5.34 Crore (Book Value) by merely paying an amount of ? 17.95 lakh, that too after a substantial gap.

Further investigations are under progress. (UNI)