Maharashtra Minister & Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab summoned by ED in money laundering case

Troubles seem to be mounting for the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra, as Minister Anil Parab has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED has asked the Shiv Sena leader to appear before it on June 15 for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the Sai resort in Dapoli. The three-time MLA was on May 27 called for interrogation by the central agency in relation to the same case, following raids at seven of the premises linked to him, including the resort.

Anil Parab under scanner

In March this year, the IT department carried out a search operation for a cable operator in Mumbai, a transport department employee and the businesses related to him. Searches were carried out at 26 locations in Mumbai, Pune, Sangli and Ratnagiri.

As per sources, through the raids, it had come to light that a parcel of land in Maharashtra’s Dapoli was purchased by Anil Parab from Pune resident Vibhas Sathe in 2017 for Rs 1 crore. However, the registration of the said purchase was done only in 2019. The Maharashtra Minister sold it to the cable operators for Rs.1.10 crore in 2020, sources revealed.

During this period, the construction of a resort - Sai resort - commenced on this land but the authorities were not informed about this. The cost of construction - more than Rs 6 crore spent in cash, was not accounted for by the Shiv Sena MLA nor the cable operators in their account books, sources further said.

Notably, Parab is the third Maharashtra minister on the federal agency's radar. The ED had earlier arrested state's minority affairs minister Nawab Malik and ex-state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh in different money laundering cases.