‘Yashwant Jadhav bought 56 properties during pandemic’

I-T Dept extends list of properties; says he bought jewellery worth `6 cr

Shiv Sena leader and former BMC standing committee chairman Yashwant Jadhav’s cup of woes is overflowing with the Income Tax (I-T) department expanding the list of properties allegedly acquired by him during the Covid-19 pandemic. The department has also listed jewellery items purchased with Rs 6 crore cash.

In the first phase of probe against Jadhav, the I-T department had identified 36 properties, which have now increased to 56. Of these, 41 were provisionally attached under section 132 (9)B of the Income Tax Act. The attached properties include 31 flats in Bilakhadi Chamber in Byculla where Jadhav resides, a flat worth Rs 5 crore in Bandra and Hotel Crown Imperial in Byculla. There are 40 other properties that are under investigation and are suspected to be linked to Jadhav.

An I-T official said, “It is suspected that the acquisition of all the assets was during the time Yashwant Jadhav

was the chairman of the standing committee of the BMC. All the attached properties are registered either in his name or his family members and close associates.”

During searches lasting four days at Jadhav’s residence and offices in February this year, I-T officials had seized several property documents, allegedly suspicious book entries for cash payments and expensive gifts, including a watch worth Rs 50 lakh to Matoshree and Rs 2-crore gifts to Matoshree for Gudi Padwa. Jadhav claimed Matoshree referred to his mother and that he had distributed watches on her birthday; similarly, he had distributed gifts worth Rs 2 crore in his mother’s name on Gudi Padwa.

The I-T department has recorded the statements of the jeweller who was paid Rs 6 crore for gold jewellery and the statement of tenants paid Rs 1.15 crore in cash to buy the ownership of three rooms in the building where Jadhav lives.

The officials summoned Jadhav’s close associates Vilas Mohite and Vineet Jadhav to record their statement, which they repeatedly skipped. While Mohite oversaw Jadhav’s BMC work, Vineet Jadhav was a director of BMC contractor Bimal Agarwal’s company Newshawk Multimedia Pvt Ltd. Agarwal has earlier been investigated by the police and the ED in the bomb disposal suit scam and betting-related cases. Jadhav allegedly favoured Agarwal for various BMC contracts to the tune of Rs 30 crore.

Jadhav, through Newshawk Multimedia, allegedly bought 31 flats in Bilakhadi chambers and paid Rs 30-35 lakh in cash to four to five tenants. Some payments, as per the I-T department, were made to tenants through hawala channels overseas.

Yashwant Jadhav and his wife Yamini remained unavailable for comments on the I-T cases against them.

41 properties were provisionally attached under section 132 (9)B of the Income Tax Act