ED freezes over Rs 44-cr deposits, cash after raids against Maha BJP leader, others

New Delhi, Jun 18 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has frozen bank deposits and mutual funds worth Rs 44 crore and seized Rs 16.5 lakh cash after it conducted searches against a Maharashtra businessman, who recently joined the BJP, and some others in a forest land 'scam' linked money laundering case.

The raids were undertaken at multiple locations in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai on Tuesday in the case against "main accused" J M Mhatre and a man named Saiyyed Mohammad Abdul Hamid Qadri, the federal probe agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

Mhatre, according to news reports, has been a leader of the Peasants and Workers Party of India for decades and he recently joined the BJP. He has also been the president of the Panvel Municipal Council.

The ED said Mhatre is a businessman and a "local landlord" apart from being a director in a company named J M Mhatre Infra Private Limited.

The money laundering case stems from a September 2024 police FIR filed in Panvel against Mhatre and Qadri.

The case pertains to "illegal" acquisition of forest land and its subsequent illegal transfer to the National Highways Authority of India ( NHAI) and "wrongful" claim of land compensation by the accused, the ED said.

The land is located at Survey numbers 427/1 (area 41.70 hectares) and 436/1 (area 110.60 hectares) at Mauje Vahal, Panvel Taluka, in Raigad district.

The land was acquired by the government of Maharashtra in 1975 under relevant provisions of the Maharashtra Private Forests (Acquisition) Act, 1975, and later the name of the owner in 7/12 extract was changed to forest department, government of Maharashtra, it said.

Subsequently, the ED said, the mutation entry of subject land was "tampered" and the owner name (forest department) was "replaced" with that of the accused in an illegal manner.

Some parcels of land were "illegally" sold to NHAI for which Mhatre received illegal compensation of Rs 42.4 crore and Qadri received illegal reimbursement of Rs 9.69 crore, the ED claimed.

It said the search operation led to freezing of bank balances, fixed deposits and mutual funds of about Rs 44 crore and seizure of Rs 16.5 lakh in cash apart from "incriminating" documents. It, however, did not specify to whom the frozen deposits and cash belonged to. PTI NES ZMN