ED arrests Sanjay Raut in Rs 1,034 cr Patra chawl scam; all you need to know 

Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in a money laundering case related to alleged irregularities in the Patra chawl scam case. He was arrested after six hours of questioning at its zonal office in south Mumbai’s Ballard Estate.  

Raut was booked under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 and is likely to be produced in the PMLA court on Monday afternoon.  

Here’s what you need to know 

1. The central agency seized cash worth Rs 11.50 lakh from Raut’s residence during the raid conducted in the Patra chawl land scam case.  

2. Raut’s lawyer Vikrant Sabne has claimed that no document related to Patra chawl was taken into ED’s custody. 
 
3. The central agency also attached properties including a flat in Dadar held by Varsha Raut and eight plots at Kihim beach in Alibaug jointly held by Varsha Raut and his close aide Sujit Patkar’s wife Swapna Patkar.  

4. Agency wants to question Raut on “business and other links” with Pravin Raut and Patkar and also about the property deals involving his wife, Varsha Raut.  

5. A sister concern company of the Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL) – Guruashish Constructions – was awarded contract to redevelop Patra Chawl by the Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) back in 2007.  

6. As per this contract, Guruashish Constructions had to develop flats for 672 tenants of the Patra chawl and about 3,000 flats were to be handed over to the MHADA. 

7. Total land parcel stood at 47 acres and remaining land was to be allotted for sale and redevelopment by HDIL’s sister concern company. 

8. Guruashish neither redeveloped the Patra chawl or other flats which were to be handed over to the MHADA and sold land parcels and floor a space index (FSI) to around eight other builders for Rs 1,034 crore.  

9. Now arrested by the ED, Pravin Raut was one of the directors in the firm along with HDIL promoters Sarang and Rakesh Wadhawan, who are also the prime accused in PMC Bank scam.  

10. MHADA filed an FIR against Guruashish Constructions in 2018. Pravin Raut was arrested by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in February 2020 whereas Sarang Wadhawan was arrested in September 2020. Pravin Raut was released on bail later this year.  

(With agency inputs)