The criminal probe being carried out by the ED pertains to an alleged Rs 100-crore bribery-cum-extortion racket at the Maharashtra Police Establishment, which led to Deshmukh’s resignation in April.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has widened its probe into the alleged money laundering and bribery case registered against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and others as it plans to question several people linked to them soon, officials said. said on Monday.
The criminal probe being carried out by the ED pertains to an alleged Rs 100-crore bribery-cum-extortion racket at the Maharashtra Police Establishment, which led to Deshmukh’s resignation in April.
The agency questioned a deputy regional transport officer in the matter here on Monday, even as summons are expected to be issued to several other persons from various government departments and the NCP leader’s personal circle.
Maharashtra Transport Minister and Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab was also asked to join the probe and was summoned by the ED last month in the case, but he skipped appearance citing his official commitments.
Parab, 56, is also the Parliamentary Affairs Minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and is understood to have sought a fortnight to appear before the agency.
Official sources said the agency is also looking at all legal options that 71-year-old Deshmukh can use to join the probe as he did not get any relief from the Supreme Court against the ED’s action.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader had recently moved the Bombay High Court to quash the summons issued against him by the ED.
Deshmukh has refused to comply with at least five ED’s summons for questioning in the case and instead suggested the agency to interact with him over an online link, saying he was “law-abiding”. was a citizen”.
Sources said that the agency has also notified a lookout circular against him soon after registering an FIR in the matter in April.
The circular is notified at all land, sea and airports so that the officers posted there are legally empowered to detain the person named on the dossier and at the same time inform the investigating agency about the detention.
Officials said the ED is also looking into the assets of Deshmukh, his family and others, who can be attached in this case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED had recently attached assets worth Rs 4.20 crore of the Deshmukh family. The ED’s case against Deshmukh, who was earlier the Home Minister in the MVA government, and others are related to allegations of bribery of at least Rs 100 crore made by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh by the CBI in a corruption case to book him. came later.
Deshmukh had said that Singh had leveled allegations against him after he was removed from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner. Two of Deshmukh’s aides, 51-year-old private secretary (additional collector rank) Sanjeev Palande and personal assistant Kundan Shinde (45), were arrested in June.
The agency had claimed that while serving as the state home minister, Deshmukh allegedly abused his position and collected Rs 4.70 crore from various bars and restaurants in Mumbai through suspended police officer Sachin Vaze.
Thereafter, the accused allegedly misappropriated funds to a Nagpur-based educational trust named Sri Sai Shikshan Sansthan controlled by Deshmukh’s family members.
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