The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth Rs 5.73 crore belonging to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Eknath Khadse, his wife Mandakini Khadse, his son-in-law Girish Chaudhari and others in a case of criminal misconduct by a public servant.
The attached assets include immovable properties in the form of one bungalow, three residential flats, seven land parcels worth Rs 4.86 crore, and a bank balance of Rs 86.28 lakh.
ED initiated a money-laundering investigation in 2019 on the basis of an FIR on April 10, 2017, registered by Pune police against Eknath Khadse and others.
As per the First Information Report (FIR), the ED said, "Eknath Khadse has misused his official position as state Revenue Minister for mobilizing the state revenue officials and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) officials for giving compensation of the land in Survey No 52/2A/2, village Bhosari to its owner, which was purchased by his wife and son-in-law with the motive to claim compensation from the land acquisition authority at the prevalent ready reckoner value."
Investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) revealed that a three-acre industrial land, situated at Bhosari in Pune was acquired by MIDC in 1968 from one Rasul Akbar Ukani, said the ED.
In 2010, the federal agency said, "Mutation entry for the land was made in the name of MIDC in the revenue record. However, no compensation was paid to Rasul Akbar Ukani, who died in 1981."
In 2016, ready reckoner value of the land was about Rs 23 crore, said the ED, adding Eknath Khadse, due to his official position as the State Revenue Minister, knew this fact and planned the conspiracy with Mandakini Khadse and Girish Chaudhari, to fraudulently purchase the land from the heirs of Rasul Akbar Ukani in the names of Mandakini Khadse and Girish Chaudhari for consideration of Rs 3.75 crore and to avail the higher compensation at ready reckoner value.
However, the land could not be transferred in the name of Girish Chaudhari and Mandakini Khadse due to mutation entry in the name of MIDC in the Revenue records of the said land, the agency mentioned.
During the investigation, the ED said, it was also found that for purchasing the land, Eknath Khadse, Mandakini Khadse and Girish Chaudhari, received the fund of Rs 5.50 crore in cash from unknown sources and third parties.
"This fund was placed, routed and layered through the bank accounts of various shell companies and the bank accounts of Eknath Khadse by creating a complex web of transactions and finally integrated the said funds of Rs 5.50 crore in the bank accounts of the Girish Chaudhari and Mandakini Khadse in the guise of loan, claiming as untainted," stated the ED.
ED further stated that,"Laundered fund of Rs 5.50 crore was utilized to pay the amount of Rs 3.75 crore to descendants of the Rasul Akbar Ukani for the purchase of the land and Rs 1.78 crore to pay the other statutory dues like stamp duty, registration charges."
( With inputs from ANI )
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