The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted a search operation at the residence of one Sujit Patkar in Mumbai. Patkar is a partner of Sanjay Raut's daughters - Purvashi & Vidhita - at a firm.
Praveen Raut, a close associate of Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and an entrepreneur, was arrested by the ED on Wednesday. He has been accused of being involved in the Patra Chawl land scam worth Rs 1,034 crore. He was arrested on charges of money laundering by a Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court.
Praveen Raut is accused of cheating the residents of Patra Chawl and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) by selling pockets of land to private builders instead of developing them. A deal was made to construct 3000 flats - on a piece of land in Goregaon - out of which 672 were to be given to the Patra Chawl residents.
Raut received 95 crore rupees from Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited (HDIL), which the ED believes came from the illegal sale of the flats. Raut on the other hand, says that he received the money after he sold HDIL shares in 2010.
Sujit Patkar, a partner of Sanjay Raut's daughters' firm, is also associated with Pravin Raut's Guruashish constructions, a sister company of HDIL constructions.
HDIL has been under the scanner for the Rs 4300 crore Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank scam as well.