ED breaths down Thackeray’s neck, attaches brother-in-law’s properties

Mumbai: In a major development that has sent shock waves down the political corridors of Maharashtra, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday disclosed that it has attached immovable properties worth around Rs. 6.45 core belonging to Pushpak Group’s entity, Pushpak Bullion, in Thane.

The attached immovable properties include 11 flats in the Neelambari project of Thane, belonging to Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Pvt. Ltd. owned and controlled by Shridhar Madhav Patankar.

Patankar is the brother-in-law of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and brother of his wife Rashmi Thackeray.

The dramatic action follows a money-laundering case registered against Pushpak Bullion and other group companies under the PMLA, in March 2017, said the ED.

As of today, the Enforcement Directorate has attached other properties worth Rs.21.46 crore owned by Mahesh Patel, Chandrakant Patel, their family members and companies controlled by them.

Further investigations have revealed that Mahesh Patel had siphoned off and layered funds of Pushpak Group’s concern, Pushpak Realty in connivance with one Nandkishore Chaturvedi, who provided the ‘accommodation entry’.

The ED stated that, under the guise of a sale, Pushpak Realty transferred funds to the tune of Rs. 20.02 crore back to Chaturvedi after layering it through various connected/unconnected entities.

The central probe agency disclosed that Chaturvedi, who operates several shell companies, further transferred these monies through his bogus company Humsafar Dealer Pvt. Ltd. under the cover of extending ‘unsecured loans’ of more than Rs. 30 crores to Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Pvt. Ltd.

Accordingly, the agency added that the money siphoned off by Mahesh Patel in connivance with Chaturvedi was finally parked in the realty projects of the housing company owned/controlled by Patankar, the CM’s brother-in-law.

The sudden and stunning developments come days after Shiv Sena MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut had slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of letting loose various central probe agencies against the state leaders in a bid to topple the Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

Reacting to the latest ED action, senior BJP leader and former MP Dr Kirit Somaiya remarked that Thackeray’s brother-in-law (brother of Rashmi Thackeray) in “money laundering scam” with “use of shell companies” and “scamsters will not be spared”.

At the time of going to the press there have been no reactions yet from the Thackeray family or the MVA partners to the ED move.

“Shridhar Madhav Patankar is our family member,his relation is not limited to CM. Has ED closed its offices in other big states? Maharashtra’s public knows well about the Thackeray family… this is a dangerous start of dictatorship. Winning in 4 states doesn’t make you the ruler of the country. We’re ready to go into jails but we’re also ready to fight for freedom for this country’s democracy.ED has been taking tremendous actions in states where BJP is not in power”, said Sanjay Raut,
RS Member and Spokesperson, Shiv Sena