Sanjay Raut arrested by ED after hours of grilling and raids in Patra chawl land scam case

Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has been arrested by Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the re-development of a Mumbai chawl and related transactions involving his wife and 'associates'.

Accourding to sources, Raut has been arrested for 'non-cooperation', with ED alleging that 'unaccounted cash was recovered'. Moreover, incriminating documents have also been seized. Sanjay Raut is set to be produced in court at 11.30 a.m. on August 1.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing a money laundering case on Sunday, conducted a search at Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's residence in Bhandup for nine hours and questioned him before shifting him to the agency's office in south Mumbai in the evening, sources said.

At 7 a.m. on Sunday, ED officials, accompanied by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, reached Raut's 'Maitri' bungalow of Raut and began the search. He was later taken to ED's office. The ED officials also seized Rs 11.50 lakh unaccounted cash from Rajya Sabha MP's residence.

Raut had appeared before the agency in Mumbai to record his statement on July 1 but after that, he skipped the two summonses issued by the agency citing the ongoing Parliament session.

The Rajya Sabha MP, who is a Uddhav Thackeray loyalist, had denied any wrongdoing and alleged that he was being targeted due to political vendetta. He also said that he will not bow down and quit the party.

His younger brother Sunil Raut, an MLA, claimed ED officials did not find any evidence related to Patra Chawl case with Sanjay Raut.

(With PTI inputs)