Mithi river desilting scam: Actor Dino Morea, BMC officials raided

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday conducted searches on the premises of actor Dino Morea, some BMC officials, and contractors among others, as part of a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged Rs 65 crore worth Mithi river desilting “scam”, official sources said.

The raids covered more than 15 premises located in Mumbai in Maharashtra and Kochi in Kerala. Last week, Morea and Santino were questioned for eight hours by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Mumbai Police in connection with alleged links to an arrested middleman in the case, which has already seen multiple arrests and significant political fallout.

The EOW had registered a case against 13 individuals, including BMC officials, and contractors for their alleged involvement in a large-scale scam concerning the desilting of the Mithi River.

According to investigators, tenders for renting specialised dredging equipment were reportedly manipulated to favour certain suppliers.

The Mithi originates from the overflow of the Vihar and Powai lakes and drains into the Mahim Creek and ultimately the Arabian Sea. Since the Mumbai floods of July 2005, the river has come under scrutiny for its heavy pollution and silt accumulation.