PATRA CHAWL CASE: PROPERTY WORTH ₹73 CR ATTACHED BY ED

MUMBAI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached immovable properties worth ₹73.62 crore as part of its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of Patra chawl by Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd (GACPL). The attached assets include multiple land parcels belonging to accused Pravin Raut, a former GACPL director and alleged acquaintance of Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, and his associates in and around Palghar, Dapoli, Raigad and Thane.

The ED began its investigation in the case on the basis of a first information report (FIR) registered by the Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW). The FIR was based on a complaint by the executive engineer of MHADA, Mumbai. The accused included GACPL, builder Rakesh Kumar Wadhwan and his son Sarang Kumar Wadhwan. The chargesheet against them was filed on December 11, 2020.

The ED’s probe revealed that GACPL, which was entrusted with the redevelopment of Patra chawl, signed a tripartite agreement with MHADA and the housing society. According to this agreement, GACPL was supposed to provide flats to 672 tenants, develop additional flats for MHADA and sell the remaining land in the open market. But GACPL directors sold the entire floor space index fraudulently to nine developers for around ₹901.79 crore without constructing any tenements for the rehabilitation or additional flats for MHADA, said agency sources.

The probe further revealed Pravin Raut diverted around ₹95 crore from the proceeds of crime to his own bank accounts. He used a part of the proceeds to buy land, either in his own name or in the name of his firm, Prathmesh Developers. He also diverted a part of the proceeds to associates/ associate entities.