Shiv Sena (UBT) Leader Anil Desai Faces EOW Inquiry Over Rs 50 Crore Party Fund Withdrawal

The EOW launched a preliminary enquiry (PE) following a complaint filed by the Eknath Shinde-led faction.

38
493

X: @the_news_21

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Desai faced questioning by the Mumbai Police Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Tuesday regarding allegations that the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction fraudulently utilized the party’s official login credentials for filing income tax returns and withdrew ₹50 crore from the party fund despite the Election Commission (EC) recognizing the Eknath Shinde faction as the authentic Shiv Sena.

The EOW launched a preliminary enquiry (PE) following a complaint filed by the Eknath Shinde-led faction.

A senior EOW official stated that a PE has been initiated to determine whether a cognizable offence occurred. The EOW routinely conducts a PE upon receiving a complaint. If substantial evidence is uncovered during the inquiry indicating the commission of a cognizable offence, the complaint is escalated to a first information report (FIR) for further investigation and prosecution. If insufficient evidence is found, the PE is closed.

The split within the Shiv Sena occurred in June 2022 when Shinde rebelled, leading to the downfall of the Thackeray-led Maharashtra government. The EC officially recognized the Shinde-led faction as the legitimate Sena in February 2023.

EOW sources disclosed that they are scrutinizing financial transactions to ascertain if funds were withdrawn post the party’s ownership determination and identifying beneficiaries and individuals responsible.

In January, Kiran Pawaskar, secretary of the Shinde Sena, met Mumbai Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar, urging the police to file a cheating and forgery complaint against Shiv Sena (UBT) officials for allegedly misusing the party’s PAN and TAN details. The complaint was forwarded to the EOW for further investigation due to ongoing probes into multiple cases involving Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders, particularly relating to Covid-related scams.

Pawaskar emphasized that despite their faction’s recognition by the EC, the Shiv Sena (UBT) continued to use income tax credentials, urging for a criminal case against the individuals involved.

The EOW is currently verifying the allegations and plans to enlist technical assistance from cybercrime experts to conduct a comprehensive investigation.

Also Read: Ex Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb gets BJP LS ticket from Tripura West seat

38 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here