ED attaches properties belonging to Uddhav Thackeray's brother-in-law

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday provisionally attached immovable properties worth more than ₹6 crore belonging Maharashtra chief minister and Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray's brother-in-law. The properties, including 11 residential units in 'Neelambari' project in Thane, are part of a company owned by Shridhar Patankar. 

The Sena-led alliance government in the state has been accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of misusing central agencies against Opposition leaders. The Sena and BJP had severed decades-old ties in 2019 over power-sharing issues, following which the former allied with the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state. The ED has earlier arrested two state cabinet ministers and NCP leaders – Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh – in money laundering cases. Both are currently behind the bars.