ED attaches assets worth Rs 72 crore of Pravin Raut in PMC Bank loan cheating case

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 1

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has issued a provisional attachment order under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to seize properties worth Rs 72 crore belonging to Pravin Raut in a PMC Bank loan cheating case.

Officials in the agency said the investigation in the case under the PMLA revealed that Rs 95 crore had allegedly been siphoned off through Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL) by one of the accused persons Pravin Raut in “active conspiracy and connivance with various accomplices”.

A senior ED official said, “The source of the funds was illegally availed as loans/advances by HDIL from PMC Bank. There was no document/agreement in support of these payments made to Pravin Raut.”

More to it as per the HDIL’s ledger, the funds were given to Pravin Raut for acquiring land in Palghar area, the official added.

“Investigation also revealed that Pravin Raut paid an amount of Rs 1.6 crore to his wife Madhuri Pravin Raut from the proceeds of the crime and out of this money she transferred Rs 55 lakh on December 23, 2010 and Rs 5 lakh on March 15, 2011 as interest free loan to Varsha Raut, the wife of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut,” the ED said in a statement, while adding that the amount was further utilised for purchase of a flat in Dadar East, Mumbai.

“The ED investigation also revealed that Varsha Sanjay Raut and Madhuri Pravin Raut are partners in M/s. Avani Construction. Varsha Sanjay Raut has received Rs 12 lakh from this entity (as overdrawn capital converted to loan) on a contribution of mere Rs 5,625. The loan amount of Rs 12 lakh still remains outstanding,” read the statement.

Investigation under the PMLA was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Economic Offences wing of the Mumbai Police under various sections of the IPC against HDIL, Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan, Sarang Wadhawan, Waryam Singh, Joy Thomas (Chairman and Managing Director of PMC bank Ltd.) and others for causing loss to the tune of Rs 4,355 crore to PMC Bank and corresponding gain to themselves.

Earlier, the ED had attached several properties of Rakesh Kumar Wadhawan, Wadhawan Family trust and others totaling to Rs 293 crore and jewelry worth Rs 63 crore.

A prosecution complaint has been filed in the case against Wadhawan and others for the offence of money laundering under the PMLA, said the agency officials.