Lagatar24 Desk
Mumbai, Sept 5: Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut’s judicial custody was extended by special PMLA court till September 19 in connection with the Patra Chawl land scam.
On the morning of July 31, the ED raided the Bhandup residence of Raut, grilled him for several hours, took him to its zonal office in south Mumbai’s Ballard Estate for further questioning and arrested him a day later. Alleging that it was a “false case”, he vowed to not desert the Shiv Sena faction led by former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.
On the basis of claims made by his co-accused Pravin Raut, Raut was detained on suspicion of receiving criminal earnings from the Patra Chawl reconstruction project in Kandivali. The ED originally asserted that Raut’s family received Rs 1.06 crore as “direct beneficiaries” and later asserted that a new trail for an additional Rs 2.25 crore had been found. Raut has refuted the charges. Varsha, Raut’s wife, was also questioned by the ED in its headquarters.
