Nagpur: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s brother-in-law was targeted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday with the central agency freezing his assets over Rs 6 crore.
Assets worth Rs 6.45 crores were seized by the ED sleuths, according to officials. This development comes two weeks after the Income Tax department conducted a series of raids at state cabinet minister Aditya Thackeray’s close aides and Anil Parab.
In a statement, the ED said it has issued a provisional order under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach 11 residential flats in Neelambari project, located in Thane near Mumbai, of Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Private Limited.
The statement further read that Shridhar Madhav Patankar, who is Rashmi Thackeray’s brother, owns and controls Shree Saibaba Grihanirmiti Private Limited, it said.
Commenting on the developments, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, “The ED (Enforcement Directorate) is acting under political pressure. They are trying to make us bend through central agencies.” Raut added that the non-BJP ruled states are facing this (raids by ED and IT).
He further gave an example of how West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew was questioned by the ED. The Shiv Sena leader said, “Looks like ED has closed its office in other big states, like Gujarat. Everything is happening in Maharashtra.”
