ED registers money laundering case against Ravindra Waikar over alleged Rs 500 crore BMC plot scam

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has initiated the registration of an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) involving Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Ravindra Waikar. This action is connected to an alleged plot scam amounting to Rs 500 crore. Waikar stands accused of defrauding the BMC of Rs 500 crore by obtaining approval to construct a five-star hotel on a plot designated for BMC playground gardens.

Waikar and five others were booked by the Mumbai police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) last month. The ED’s money laundering case was based on the EOW’s FIR.  According to officials, they have obtained all the case-related documents and statements from Ravindra Waikar which were given to EOW and are currently working on it. During the EOW investigation, Ravindra Waikar denied the allegations and said that the action was politically motivated, FPJ reported.

The Enforcement Directorate's ECIR is grounded in an EOW FIR. According to the filed ECIR, the 8,000 square meter land plot, situated on Jogeshwari Vikhroli link road, was originally owned by Kamal Amrohi's family members. Ravindra Waikar and other individuals connected to him acquired the land from the Amrohi family through a notarized agreement in 2004.