The Enforcement Directorate has conducted raids at seven locations related to Shiv Sena (Uddhav faction) leader and MLA Ravindra Waikar and his partners in the money laundering case related to the construction of a luxury hotel on Jogeshwari, the agency said on Tuesday.
The case pertains to the construction of a star hotel at Jogeshwari by allegedly manipulating the land use conditions.
The ED earlier in November registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Waikar in ‘Rs 500 crore 5-Star Hotel Scam’.
Waikar is accused of defrauding the BMC of Rs 500 crore by obtaining permission to build a five-star hotel on a plot reserved for a BMC playground.
The targeted premises included Waikar’s residence and locations belonging to his business associates Aasoo Nehlanai, Raj Lalchandani, and Prithpal Bindra, as well as architect Arun Dubey.
In September 2023, Waikar, his wife Manisha, Nehlanai, Lalchandani, the late Bindra, and Dubey were booked by the Mumbai police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on charges of criminal breach of trust, cheating, dishonestly inducing delivery of property, and criminal conspiracy. The ED’s Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case stems from the FIR filed by the EOW.
The initial FIR was lodged after BMC sub-engineer Santosh Mandavkar filed a complaint at the Azad Maidan police station. The subsequent investigation was then forwarded to the EOW.
According to the FIR, Waikar had entered into a contract with the BMC to operate a sports facility on a Jogeshwari plot. Permission was granted during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. However, in early 2023, a notice was issued to Waikar for allegedly using land earmarked for a public garden to construct a hotel.
While no arrests have been made in Waikar’s case, the EOW questioned the Jogeshwari East MLA and his wife last year. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya claimed that Waikar was involved in a Rs 500 crore scam.
In response to the allegations, Waikar stated, “My statement has been recorded, and I have submitted details that will prove that I have followed all rules and laws in the said project.”