On Tuesday morning, UBT Sena legislator Ravindra Waikar (64), along with his business associates, related entities, and connected individuals, had seven of his properties searched by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The searches were carried out as a part of the Enforcement Department’s money laundering investigation into purported anomalies in the building of a five-star hotel on a public property in Jogeshwari, which went against a contract with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The ED recently recorded the testimony of local officials who handled the case of alleged land plot misuse.According to people in the agency informed of the proceedings, Waikar and other suspects in the case would shortly be questioned.
Waikar is a member of the Maharashtra assembly for the Jogeshwari (east) seat. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai police filed a case in September 2023, which is the basis for the ED’s inquiry against Waikar. The BMC was accused of giving land to a club in Jogeshwari so that it could continue to host events for sports and entertainment. However, the club later received permission to build a luxury hotel on the land, which was against the terms of the land’s agreement with the civic body, according to the people mentioned above.
The EOW had booked Waikar and five additional people for alleged cheating pertaining to the hotel’s development. Both Waikar and the other defendants have refuted the accusations made against them. However, those with knowledge of the situation within the agency claimed that it had already called in specific municipal officials who handled the case as witnesses in order to obtain data and clarifications to aid in its investigation.
The aforementioned individuals noted that the agency is investigating whether the case involved the creation of proceeds from crime and the amount, if any.
The complaint filed with the Azad Maidan police station by a civic official served as the foundation for the EOW’s case.
EOW took action in response to complaints filed with the BMC alleging that the accused in the case had deceived it and obtained permission to build a hotel on a block of land that was otherwise designated for public use as a ground or garden.
According to the folks mentioned above, Waikar and others bought the 8,000-square-meter site in 1999 from a family that also operates a film studio along the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road. A tripartite agreement was purportedly reached between the BMC, Waikar, and four other plot owners for a restricted development of the property parcel.
According to the above persons informed of the developments, this agreement called for 67% of the plot to be maintained for public use and the remaining portion to be used for development. Additionally, it was claimed that in 2021, the accused got approval from the community to build a hotel.
The first information report (FIR) on the EOW and ED investigations claims that the accused used the plot, which was set aside for sports and entertainment, for commercial purposes. The accused received the plot for free public use from the BMC.
A top BJP politician had claimed that the accused in the case had unlawfully gained consent for the construction of a hotel on a property set aside for a garden. In response, the EOW had already launched a preliminary investigation into the alleged irregularities. Subsequently, the EOW requested that members of the BMC’s Garden and Building Department participate in the investigation through letters.
Since 2009, Waikar has served as an MLA representing Jogeshwari East for three terms in a row. From 2014 to 2019, he held a ministerial position in the Devendra Fadnavis administration.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stated that the administration is not acting out of retaliation when discussing the ED raids, but in the interest of the public. “Why should he be afraid if he hasn’t done anything wrong? The CM remarked, “Kar nahi to dar nahi.”
While Waikar may appear insignificant, Sanjay Shirsat, a spokesperson for UBT Sena, claims that smarter individuals who might be under ED investigation are running the scam.
Uddhav Thackeray, the chief of the UBT Sena, responded to the ED raids by claiming that the system is tyrannical. He remarked, “And as Lord Rama taught, we will have to make all-out efforts to end this oppression.”