Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) teams, numbering at least four, executed raids on Thursday at the residence, office, and a business linked to opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Rajan Salvi. Led by Ratnagiri ACB officer Sushant Chavan, the operation targeted Salvi’s home, where his brother Deepak Salvi and an associate were present. Searches were also carried out at three locations, including Salvi’s residence, his brother’s house, and a hotel.
Approximately 20 investigators formed the ACB team, conducting simultaneous searches at these three locations. The alleged case centers around ‘benami properties,’ involving wealth exceeding Rs 3 crore, purportedly surpassing Rajan Salvi’s known sources of income by at least 118 percent, according to an official statement.
Expressing his discontent with the raids, Rajan Salvi claimed he was being targeted for resisting political pressures and refusing to shift allegiance to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He revealed that his brother’s home, along with his wife Anuja and son Shubham, was also raided, and warned that the government would face consequences for its actions.
Despite ACB’s previous questioning, Salvi declared on Wednesday that he would no longer respond to any summonses or participate in their office interrogations, challenging them with, “Take whatever action, arrest me, throw me in jail.”
The ACB’s actions followed the arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of a close aide to SS-UBT former minister and MLA Aditya Thackeray in Mumbai. Shiv Sena leaders, including Aditya Thackeray, Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut, and others, criticized the state government for selectively targeting their party leaders through investigative agencies.
Raut asserted that Salvi and MP Rajan Vichare are being pursued by central agencies due to their refusal to align with the ruling Shiv Sena, cautioning that the people of the state are closely observing the situation and will respond appropriately in the elections.