Mumbai: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached properties worth Rs 73.6 crore in an alleged money laundering case linked to the Goregaon Patra Chawl redevelopment scam. The seized properties include land parcels owned by Pravin Raut and his associates in Palghar, Dapoli, Raigad, and Thane. The case revolves around alleged irregularities in the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl Project in carried out by M/s Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd (GACPL).
According to the ED, Pravin Raut, a close associate of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, acted as a frontman for Sanjay Raut in the Patra Chawl scam. Both Pravin Raut and Sanjay Raut were arrested by the ED in 2022 and were granted bail in November of the same year. Earlier, assets worth Rs 11.15 crore belonging to Pravin Raut and Sanjay Raut were also attached by the ED, found to be a part of the alleged proceeds of crime (PoC) amounting to Rs 95 crore received by Pravin Raut.
ED investigation revealed that a part of the PoC, amounting to Rs 95 Crore, was diverted by Pravin Raut, Director of M/s M/s Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd (GACPL) to his personal bank accounts. Part of the PoC were were used to acquire land parcels directly from farmers or land aggregators, either in his name or in the name of his firm Prathmesh Developers. Additionally, some of the PoC was transferred to people associated with him.
Furthermore, properties acquired by Pravin Raut using the PoC were later gifted to his family members. The identified proceeds of crime, including land parcels acquired from farmers, gifted properties to family members, and equivalent properties of siphoned-off PoC, amounting to Rs 73.62 crore, have been attached by the ED.
The ED initiated its investigation based on an FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Mumbai, against M/s Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan, Sarang Kumar Wadhawan, and others, following a complaint by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).
The EOW filed a chargesheet in the matter in December 2020. During the investigation, it was found that Pravin Raut, one of the directors of M/s Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd (GACPL), involved in the redevelopment of the Patra Chawl Project, engaged in significant financial misconduct.
A tripartite agreement was signed between the society, MHADA, and M/s Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd (GACPL), wherein the developer was supposed to provide flats to 672 tenants, develop flats for MHADA, and sell the remaining land area. However, the directors of M/s Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd (GACPL) including Rakesh Wadhawan, Pravin Raut, and others, misled MHADA and fraudulently sold the Floor Space Index (FSI) to nine developers, collecting approximately Rs 901.79 crore without constructing the rehabilitation portion for the 672 displaced tenants and the flats for MHADA.
In the scam the attachments made earlier,Earlier, assets worth Rs 11.15 crore belonging to Pravin Raut and Sanjay Raut were attached by the ED, found to be a part of the alleged proceeds of crime (PoC) amounting to Rs 95 crore received by Pravin Raut.the ED has attached assets amounting to Rs 31.50 crore of Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan, in the form of properties in Goa. Thus, the ED has attached immovable properties amounting to Rs 116.27 crore in this case so far.
The ED filed a Prosecution Complaint in March 2022 against Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan, Sarang Wadhawan, Pravin Raut, and M/s Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd . A supplementary Prosecution Complaint was also filed in September 2022 before the Special Court under PMLA against Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan, Sarang Wadhawan, Pravin Raut, Guru Ashish Construction Pvt Ltd, and Sanjay Raut.
