What Is Rs 65 Crore Mithi River Desilting Scam? Full Breakdown of the Scam Here

A Rs 65.54 crore desilting scam linked to the Mithi River project has sent shockwaves through Mumbai’s civic system. Investigated by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police, the case reveals a deep-rooted nexus between contractors, BMC officials, and private firms who allegedly colluded to siphon off public funds under the guise of river cleaning operations. Now, even Bollywood actor Dino Morea’s name has surfaced in connection with one of the companies involved

Inflated Rentals

At the center of the scam lies the alleged manipulation of tenders floated by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the desilting of the Mithi River. Instead of purchasing equipment for the job, the BMC opted to rent silt pusher machines and amphibious dredgers on a per-metric-tonne basis.

According to the EOW, the tender conditions were crafted to suit the equipment specifications of Kochi-based Matprop Technical Services Pvt Ltd—the only Indian manufacturer of such machines. This gave Matprop a de facto monopoly. Contractors who secured the project were allegedly forced to rent equipment through intermediaries at highly inflated rates.

The Middlemen in Focus

The EOW arrested Ketan Kadam, director of Woder India LLP, and Jayesh Joshi of Virgo Specialties Pvt Ltd. These two acted as intermediaries in leasing the machinery to contractors. They allegedly collaborated with Matprop’s director, Dipak Mohan, to control the equipment supply chain and quote inflated prices.

Despite the actual equipment cost being around Rs 5 crore, Kadam and Joshi allegedly charged ₹8 crore for a two-year rental. This over-invoicing was approved by BMC officials, raising serious questions about internal oversight.

Contractors and Fake Billing

Contractor Bhupendra Purohit, whose company Tridev Infrastructure won major BMC contracts, is also under investigation. His relatives’ firm, Tanisha Enterprises, was awarded contracts in earlier years. To ensure high profitability, the per-tonne silt removal rate was inflated from Rs 1,609 to Rs 2,366 at one point—before being rolled back after BMC’s vigilance flagged it. Still, contractors were paid the inflated rates, causing a direct Rs 17 crore loss to the civic body.

Moreover, no scientific estimation of the actual silt in the river was done. The amount removed was exaggerated on paper, while officials cleared inflated bills based on forged weighbridge logs and dumping site documents.

Conspiracy and Collusion

The FIR states that civic officials misused their authority to benefit the accused firms. Documents found on the accused’s phones include internal BMC tenders and cash transaction logs. The EOW alleges a deliberate conspiracy to rig the tendering process, misuse official positions, and approve false documents to extract public funds.

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